The Man I Love A
T r i b u t e
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The Man I Love Billie Holiday
Someday he’ll come along, the man I love And he’ll be big and strong, the man I love And when he comes my way I’ll do my best to make him stay He’ll look at me and smile, I’ll understand Then in a little while, he’ll take my hand And though it seems absurd I know we both won’t say a word Maybe I shall meet him Sunday, Maybe Monday, maybe not Still I’m sure to meet him one day Maybe Tuesday will be my good news day
Legacy Live is the multimedia division of JRoots, an organisation devoted to connecting Jewish generations and perpetuating the authenticity, beauty and relevance of a rich Jewish life.
He’ll build a little home, that’s meant for two From which I’ll never roam, who would, would you And so all else above I’m dreaming of the man I love
www.legacy-live.com Director: Rabbi Naftali Schiff Book Management: Danny Verbov Layout and Design: Studio Bat-Ami Printed in Jerusalem, 2014
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Special thanks to Lidor Goldberg, New Media Manager, ITC, for his help in finding some wonderful photos.
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Introduction I am profoundly honoured to pen a few words for this publication celebrating the life of Peter Collins, of blessed memory. Although I only got to know Peter in the latter part of his life, his connection to the Central Synagogue goes back many decades including his marriage in our Synagogue, in 1964, to Sandy (née Goldser), whose family have enjoyed a long and warm association with our community. Shortly after his passing, I came across the 1986 copy of our Synagogue magazine, then called ‘Central Line,’ and opened it to find an article written by Peter in his capacity as the Joint Chairman of the Israel Tennis Centres. I knew of Peter as a cultured and gentle man but this article gave me valuable insight into Peter the ardent Zionist, visionary and builder.
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Peter the Bar Mitzvah boy
His contribution to so many people in Israel echoes the words to be found in Ethics of the Fathers (Chapter 1, Mishna 7), “It is not study that is the most important thing, but deeds.” Peter was certainly a man of deeds who achieved much in business and in all of his manifold activities, but his most important and proudest asset was undoubtedly his family. I am sure that this publication will serve to perpetuate his memory and legacy and also serve as a source of inspiration to Sandy, Jane, Jimmy, his grandchildren and the entire family. Rabbi Barry Marcus Central Synagogue
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Editor’s Note “Nothing is by chance.” Sandy said that to me at our first meeting in the Dan Accadia. It turns out that my two grandfathers had a connection to the Collins family. One taught Peter his Bar Mitzvah (and also Hebrew, as Angela recalls), and the other married Peter and Sandy in the Central Synagogue. I therefore had no choice but to compile this book. And I’m so glad I did. I did not know either Peter or Sandy before that meeting but now I almost feel part of the family! So much so that I would be enriched if I could take some of
their virtues with me long after this book is finished. Sensitivity. Humility. A love of Israel, children, human potential, life… A determination to do what’s right, to persevere, to be true to oneself and to do the best you can. And the ability to share, love and give with every bone in your body. This book appears to commemorate the first anniversary of Peter’s passing. I sincerely hope it becomes a source of constant pride, pleasure and inspiration for his children,
grandchildren and future generations who never had the privilege and joy of meeting him in person. May you all perpetuate his name and values for the benefit of yourselves, your families, your communities and the entire people of Israel. And may the One who gives us the chances – and helps us learn, change and grow from them – may He bless you all. Danny Israel, January 2014
Twilight in Tel Aviv
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Family Tree Raie Skolnick
Madeleine Goldser
David Cope-Thompson
Mark
Julia
Daniel Harris
Simon
Charles Samuel
Michelle Hannan
Martin Goldser
Lewis Richard Goldser
Emma
Graham Spitz
Marc Roth
Sandra Goldser
Jane Collins
Rachel
Tamara
Yael
Rebecca
Louis
Michal Jonathan (Jon) Mordechai
Daniel
Joe
Ida Wiesenberg
Angela Collins
Peter Collins
Selene Allen
James (Jimmy) Robert Collins
Jack Barnet Coppel (Collins)
Anthony Lyons
Lucy Johnson
Alan Lyons
Susie Lyons
Simon David Kaffel
Grace Ida Rose
Benjamin Alfie Isaac
Kaya
Edward (Teddy) Jack
Adam Rafi Daniel
Teo
Gabriel
Freddie
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“Mr. Zweig always encouraged his friends to set down their reminiscences, not necessarily for publication but for the pleasure and benefit of their children, their families.”
The Collins family outside 59 Northway in Hampstead Garden Suburb – our first house as a family – off to shul Rosh Hashanah, c. 1972
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From the publisher’s postscript to The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig
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A Little Collins Family History Peter’s mother’s grandparents were Leon Wiesenberg and Sadie Silverblatt. Leon had Polish origins while Sadie had English roots. They settled in London where Leon pursued a career as a cellist playing at the royal courts in the early 20th century. On his father’s side, his grandparents were Abraham and Sarah Coppel, both from Poland (Abraham was from Lodz). They settled in London’s East End. Abraham worked as a tailor before he passed away at the age of 47. Sarah opened a grocery shop in Virginia Road, Shoreditch, so she could earn a living to feed and clothe her seven children – Sarah, Winnie, Katie, Peter’s father and a friend
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Abraham and Sarah Coppel
Cissie, Jack (Peter’s father), Sam and Leah. Sam and Leah went to live in California and raised families there. The rest of the aunts remained in London and all but one ran a grocery shop with their respective husbands. Peter’s parents on their wedding day
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A Little Collins Family History
He was a kind and gentle man, concerned for those less fortunate than himself
From a telegram Peter's Dad sent to him on his birthday
Father and son
Peter’s parents, Jack Barnet Collins (born 25th December, 1907) and Ida Wiesenberg (born 14th January, 1911), were introduced by friends at a dance on 18th March, 1935 and married on 9th March, 1936, at Dunstan Road, Golders Green United Synagogue.
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Peter’s mother
His father was also in the clothing industry. He was a kind and gentle man, concerned for those less fortunate than himself. Although Peter wasn’t aware of his father’s charitable activities, he did remember a JNF “Blue Box” in the house.
His mother was absolutely dedicated to the family. She made their clothes during and after the war when there was little in the shops, as well as cooking, cleaning and attending to the family’s myriad needs.
Peter’s parents were the epitome of honesty. Although they were by no means wealthy, they taught him neither to borrow nor lend money. They were also very strict about the time Peter and his sister, Angela, came home at night!
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A Little Collins Family History
With Mummy and baby Angela
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The Early Years Peter was born on 10th April, 1938, in London. His Hebrew name was Pesach Leib ben Ya’akov, Pesach because it was Pesach time and Leib after his maternal grandfather. He weighed seven pounds! His younger sister, Angela, was born on 18th April, 1940, in Bognor, Sussex, where they lived for a short time during the War. The siblings became very close, especially when their father became unwell when Peter was only 14 and Angela 12. He never recovered. Jack’s illness dominated the family’s life. He passed away on 15th June, 1964, aged 56. Peter was 26 at the time. That same year, we were married on 23rd July at the Central Synagogue in London.
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One of his greatest regrets was not being more helpful to his ailing father Peter and Angela
Peter always said one of his greatest regrets was not being more helpful to his ailing father, who couldn’t fully comprehend what was going on around him. Towards the end of the war, the Collins’s lived in Eastcote in the
outer suburbs of London. They later moved to 20 Heathfield Gardens, Golders Green. Peter recalled a very friendly neighbourhood, full of Jews who had moved there after the war. He also fondly remembered bringing
in the coal for the fire in the winter, to keep the house warm. In the early 50s, Peter and Angela spent many hours in his small and cosy bedroom talking about their father’s illness and how it affected the whole family.
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The Early Years
The war had other effects too. When Peter was six years old, he went out of London with his family for the first time. They were driving to Brighton. However, because the car had not been used during the war years, it constantly broke down on the way! When he was 11, he won a scholarship to Hendon County School, which gave him a very good education. He especially enjoyed history and Winston Churchill was his super hero. Peter had his Bar Mitzvah at Golders Green Synagogue on 5th May, 1951. His parents made a big party for him at home. Angela remembers one of their parents’ friends playing the piano and everyone sitting around singing songs and having a lovely time. Dunstan Road, Golders Green Synagogue, featured quite prominently in Peter’s family. His parents were married there and two of his mother’s uncles were wardens. When he was a child, his father took him and Angela to shul
on Shabbat mornings and they would often visit one of their great uncles for kiddush. He never told me too much about his school years but he thoroughly enjoyed his summer camps at the Elite Summer School in Hastings, Bournemouth and Felixstowe. It was such fun to be with a group of boys and girls of similar ages from all over the country.
He was a regular fixture at the Youth Club at Golders Green Synagogue twice a week. Sunday evenings saw him dancing to popular 50s music and mid-week he would either play table tennis or participate in lively discussions about topical subjects in the news. It was there he first met Conrad Morris (who was a youth counsellor at the time) and they remained friends for almost 60 years.
Winston Churchill was his super hero
The dog takes Peter for a walk
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The Early Years
Peter and Angela
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Integrity - 24 -
Keep true, never be ashamed of doing right, decide on what you think is right and stick to it. George Eliot
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Young Adulthood
homeland in the post Holocaust years.
Young Adulthood He believed he could do anything he put his mind to
Peter’s happiest memory of his early adulthood was playing Sunday tennis at Chandos Jewish Tennis Club in Golders Green. He was a good player and won a place in the club team. One of his earliest ‘investments’ was his first car, a white Morris Minor which he bought mainly with his own savings and a little help from his mother. He had been working on Saturdays at “Simpsons of Piccadilly”. He used some of his money for bus fares and saved the rest. Up to the age of 15 his father had given him a small weekly allowance. Peter was very much affected by the birth of the State of Israel in 1948, because he realized the huge importance of a Jewish
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Due to his father’s early demise, Peter had matured rather earlier than many of his peers. His independence and determination to work hard
When he arrived on the shop floor, on day one of his training course, the Assistant Manager, Jack Toper,* told him to wash the floor. Peter told him he had not come to M&S to wash floors! The manager promptly took the mop away from
Peter and friends at Felixstowe Summer School
made him believe he could do absolutely anything he put his mind to, including opening his own business. After graduating from school in 1954, he trained in management at Marks and Spencer.
Peter, removed his jacket and washed the floor himself. That was indeed a humbling experience that Peter never forgot. I don’t know how many times I heard him tell that story, especially to his children and grandchildren.
* As a 21-year-old airman in World War II, Jack Toper received severe burns on his face and arms, undergoing 26 operations to rebuild his appearance. “But there was no feeling sorry for each other and in those days there was no counselling. We just got through without it… we were grateful to be alive.”
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Young Adulthood
and urge Peter to go and learn the business with his brother-in-law. His uncle helped the family when they needed money for nursing their father. This was a terrible thing for Peter and Angela. Not only did they have to be supportive of their mother – and put in money from the little they earned from their Saturday jobs – they also had to ask the family for support, which was something they both never recovered from. They really had quite a tough childhood. They just didn’t have
the joyful carefree existence that is the right of every child. Indeed, I heard him say on a number of occasions, “If only Jewish Care had existed then.” In Peter’s own words: “As I look back, I was very happy as a young man although there were some serious challenges in my life. Life was simple though and I knew from an early age that my future was entirely in my own hands. That gives you a tremendous sense of responsibility yet a constant thrill at the same time.”
Peter (second from left, top row) with other members of the Chandos Jewish Tennis Club
M&S gave him a very good grounding for his future career. Peter was responsible for the Food Department in their Camden Town branch. He enjoyed the job although he said the best part was cashing up the money on a Saturday night! It was a great learning opportunity for him. He stayed for two years before leaving – at his father’s behest – to join his uncle’s business, manufacturing dresses. There he learned the
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intricacies of the clothing industry and spent six months near the factory in Durham in the North of England. He really didn’t enjoy that but his eye was always on the future. He was motivated to really focus on learning as much as possible before starting his own business. As a young man, Peter wanted leadership, direction from his father, who was unable to give it to him. But he was wise enough to point him in the right direction
“I knew from an early age that my future was entirely in my own hands. That gives you a tremendous sense of responsibility yet a constant thrill at the same time” -29 -
Young Adulthood
Peter was never one to shirk responsibility and this ethos stayed with him all his life important role at home. We would sit in his bedroom and discuss and plan for the future as best we could. Peter was never one to shirk responsibility and this ethos stayed with him all his life.
Angela reminisces‌
My darling brother and I were born two years and eight days apart. One of my early memories is the two of us jogging along Hendon Way to Wessex Gardens Primary School. Along the way was a white brick wall bordering an Electricity Supply building. Peter would allow me to walk the length of the wall and then jog non-stop to school! He was assertive and yet protective even in his early years.
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Being close in age, we travelled the same path for most of our childhood. We went to Golders Green Youth Club together and to the summer school at Felixstowe College. He looked out for me wherever we were. Peter left school at 16 and embarked on a career he knew would some day lead him to running his own company. By this time our father was unwell and Peter was acutely aware of his
Peter loved table tennis. I thought he was a great player. He played for AJY and was often in competitions at Seymour Hall. I always went with my parents to cheer him on. Later on, he abandoned the table and stuck with the tennis. Many of his fellow players at Chandos became his friends for life. During the early fifties, Peter developed a love of popular music and dance of the day, particularly Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and others. Peter and I would jive together, learning and making up new steps as we went along. Jazz was his next great love and when he bought himself a record player,* he built quite a collection. Our house was always full of the sounds of his music, often at full volume!
Angela
As a teenager and young man he displayed a charm and personality way beyond his years. He was loved by all. His winning ways, sense of fun and love of life never really left him, but his illness certainly took its toll, cruelly robbing him and his family of what could have been.
* The forerunner of the tape, CD, MP3, 4‌
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A Little Goldser Family History adapted from the “A Grandmother Remembers” album I gave to Yael on her Bat Mitzvah
“The sun was shining on the day you were born”
Above: Grandfather Lewis with little Sandra
My father’s name was Marcus Goldser – which he later changed to Martin – and my mother was Rachel, known as Raie. In 1918, at the age of six, my mother arrived in England as a refugee from Vapniarca, a small town near Odessa. My parents met in the summer of 1937, while on holiday with friends in Bournemouth, and married in London on 6th February, 1938. My father earned his living making timber packing cases. My sister, Madeleine, was three years old before I came along on 15th March, 1944. Sandra Joy. Every year on my birthday, my Daddy used to tell me that “the
Sandy’s parents, Raie and Martin Goldser
sun was shining on the day you were born.” Maybe that’s why they called me Joy. Raie and Martin on honeymoon in Bournemouth, 1938
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A Little Goldser Family History
Sandy with her brother at the beach in Cliftonville
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Sandy’s brother Lewis Goldser
I also had a brother, Lewis, born three years after me and two days after my grandfather, Lewis, died. We lived in North London and my sister and I, good Jewish girls from a staunchly Zionist family in Odessa, went to a convent school in Golders Green. The reason was very simple. It was right over the road. When the bombs were dropping, my parents wanted Madeleine as close to home as possible (I was a baby and went to the convent after the war in 1948, because my
parents were very happy with the education). In addition, my father was producing packing cases for the War Office and had to work in the London factory. My mother – who could have joined the rest of her family in Ireland – wanted to be close to my father, and so we stayed too, hence the convent education. My parents were very strict about telling the truth, good table manners and going to bed when we were told. We also had to be quiet when Daddy came home from work. Lewis, Sandy and Madeleine at the Model Village in Beaconsfield
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A Little Goldser Family History
They gave us a lot of trust too. For example, in my late teens, whenever I asked my father for money he told me, “Help yourself,” even giving me the combination to his safe!
loved him like a brother and seeing my father cry for the first time was the greatest shock I’d ever had.
However, the only time I remember Daddy saying no to me was when I asked to go to finishing school* in Italy and Switzerland like most of my friends. I was really upset at the time. Daddy said, “Your finishing school is with me, in the factory.” I didn’t particularly enjoy that but in hindsight, it was very useful for our business later on. Daddy was a very wise and charitable man. He always taught me to appreciate people who were good and not to be impressed with wealth. Mummy taught me to value the love between husband and wife. My teenage years were a dream but my life changed very suddenly at the age of 19 when Michael, my sister’s husband, dropped dead on the golf course at age 25. I
* A finishing school (or charm school) is a school for young women that focuses on teaching social skills and cultural norms as a preparation for entry into adult society. The name reflects that it follows on from ordinary school and is intended to complete the educational experience, with classes primarily on etiquette.
Sandy
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Honesty - 40 -
“Confidence... thrives on honesty, on honour, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful George performance. Eliot protection and on unselfish Without them it cannot live� Franklin D. Roosevelt
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Love is in the Air
What a great chatter, charmer and super salesman he was, not one to take no for an answer - 42 -
I met Peter at a friend’s engagement party on my mother’s birthday, 3rd September, 1963. At that time he was working for the Alexon Group in Conduit Street. Peter saw me come in, asked someone who I was and was promptly introduced. He chatted me up and invited me out for dinner but I gave him the cold shoulder and told him I was having dinner with the family. That was that as far as I was concerned.
(Multiple Sclerosis). Every Shabbat I would have tea with her at 6 Spaniards Close so I almost grew up in the presence of this illness.
I had yet to learn what a great chatter, charmer and super salesman he was, not one to take no for an answer. He remembers: “She was beautiful, serious and had a cool personality that was immensely attractive to me.”
“From the day Sandy entered my life, it was bathed in sunshine. We were partners in every sense, sharing great joy and occasionally sadness. We were happy simply to be in each other’s company, never at a loss for a subject to discuss or equally happy to sit in silence with our thoughts.”
Strangely enough, the father of my closest friend, Rosemary, had MS
On our first date, he took me to dinner at the Casse Croute in
A couple of months after my first encounter with Peter, I was driving up Winnington Road and Peter shoots up behind me. As I reach Spaniards Close, he gets out of the car and chats me up again.
The note Peter sent me after our first date, accompanied by a single red rose. It arrived in a box from a very exclusive flower shop, Moyses Stevens in Berkeley Square. The wording refers to our first meeting when I turned down his invitation to dinner!
This time I agreed.
Married! 23rd July, 1964, at the Central Synagogue, Great Portland Street
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Love is in the Air
“I don’t care if he’s got gold falling out of his pockets, just bring me home a mensch”
Outside our first house in Highgate with the white Triumph, my new car that Peter drove down to the South of France on our honeymoon
Peter and the kids in the front garden of 59 Northway Jane and Jimmy
Chelsea and then we danced at Brad’s night club. Everything was just very special and dancing became a mutual love throughout our years together, always reminding me of that first magical encounter. On that night I saw a very different Peter. He was unlike any of the boys I’d grown up with or dated. He had a certain maturity,
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a sense of responsibility. Serious and yet fun. The following morning, I told my parents I’d met someone really special. My father had always said to me, “Sandra, don’t bring me home somebody with money. I don’t care if he’s got gold falling out of his pockets, just bring me home a mensch.”
So I did. And from then on, Peter totally committed himself to fulfilling the role of a son. So much so that after my brother Lewis died in a car crash in 1972, Peter even offered to change our son Jimmy’s name to Goldser so my family name would be perpetuated. My father was
immensely touched by the gesture but would hear nothing of it. The most treasured gift Peter ever gave me was saying Kaddish, the memorial prayer, for my Daddy. Peter especially went to shul twice a day, for a whole year, just so he could say Kaddish for my father. A most unselfish and beautiful gesture, never to be forgotten.
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Love is in the Air
Soon into our relationship, I recalled my father’s wise words – “When the right person comes along, you’ll know.” After only a week of seeing each other, I had no doubts. He dropped what he was doing at work and drove to Finchley just to be with me at a time when I was very much in need of comfort. And from that day on, he was always there for me. Our courtship lasted four weeks before he proposed at Park Farm, his family’s home in Hampstead Garden Suburb. He said, “Darling, would you please marry me and we will spend our lives caring for each other.” And I replied, “Yes, I trust you to always look after me.” We were always a very polite and romantic couple…
We were engaged in February 1964 and married on 23rd July, 1964, at 4.30pm at the Central Synagogue, Great Portland Street. He wore a black morning coat and striped trousers with a grey top hat and thought I looked “like a fairy princess!” We had a cocktail party at the Savoy Hotel and then stayed at the Dorchester for six nights, courtesy of my father. Peter then had to work for a week before we went to the South of France on honeymoon, to a beautiful hotel, Le Roche Fleurre, in Aiguebelle, close to Le Lavandou. Our first home – a lovely gift from my parents – was a one room apartment at 66 Shepherds Hill, Highgate, which had a wonderful view.
“Darling, would you please marry me and we will spend our lives caring for each other” Peter and Sandy at home with Jane, 1966
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Business Beginnings Peter always said my father was more of a father to him than a fatherin-law
In light of Peter’s difficult upbringing, my father really had an incredible influence on him. Peter always said my father was more of a father to him than a father-in-law and actually often quoted many of his wise sayings throughout his life. Peter knew that if he was going to open his own business, the one thing he needed now was experience in running and working in a small company. So shortly after we were engaged, he went to work for a successful fashion company. He was in charge of sales. It was very new and trendy and the owner was one of Peter’s closest friends. Before we were married, I had worked in my father’s business and now I actually missed the ritual of getting up and going out
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Fashion as Passion to work. Peter was sensitive to my frustration and said, “Come to work with me Sandy.” They were just launching a new collection and needed a little help. I absolutely loved it. Working together wasn’t always easy, even after the children were born, but it was truly worth it as we were able to enjoy life to the full. As time went on, Peter realised he needed a designer. That was the one thing missing in his business plan. As if by appointment, a Frenchman came into the showroom one day, quite unexpectedly. He had a very successful coat business in Paris called Pierre D’Alby and had just started a company called French Connection. He told Peter he was using freelance designers, a practice quite common in Paris, as we were soon to discover.
Having been given the magic formula, we flew to Paris to find a designer. We found one we liked and that’s how Selection at Peter Collins began. My father arranged the capital (in those days one needed very little money to start a company) and suddenly my secretarial skills – acquired at the Triangle Secretarial College – came in very useful as I did all the bookkeeping and whatever else was needed. Sometimes Angela was roped in to help too and Peter – remembering his M&S training – even washed the floors. We were in heaven.
The Collins’s are ready to hit the town!
We initially had two floors in a small building in Maddox Street, off Bond Street. We were successful, the business grew and my involvement increased. Fashion had always been my passion and I began scribbling a
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Fashion as Passion
few ideas until I actually came up with a complete collection! Day trips to Paris became part of my working schedule, even after Jane was born in January 1966. Walking up and down the fashionable streets, sketching whatever caught my eye and in some cases buying samples to copy back in the pattern room. I had not expected to go back to work after giving birth but soon after I came home from the hospital, Peter said, “When are Jane and Jimmy are off to school
you coming back in, Sandy?” In Peter’s own words: “Sandy and I looked forward to every day – working, travelling (for business or for pleasure), or just being at home. We always displayed love and affection to one another and that is how we lived our entire lives. My fondest memory of my wife in those early years was when she arrived at the office looking beautiful and excited, anticipating the good each day might bring. She was determined to be a good wife too. For my part, I tried to protect her and make sure she was happy every single day. I still like the old-fashioned ways of treating a girl with respect and consideration. Life was far more romantic when we were younger.” Indeed, Peter was the ultimate romantic and we were forever exchanging little handwritten notes and gifts right through to the end. He was actually crying at Jon’s Bar Mitzvah because he couldn’t dance with me.
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There is no question that our working relationship enhanced and strengthened our marriage. We never had one argument in the business because we both respected each other’s opinions and our lines didn’t cross. I was completely confident in what Peter was doing and vice-versa. We would choose things together and it didn’t happen unless we were both in agreement. Although he could be very assertive, I didn’t feel he controlled me. Quite the opposite. He looked after me. I did what he wanted because it didn’t matter to me. However, if there was something that disturbed me I had no qualms about telling him. He never said no to me. We would do everything together. And we took the children with us too, even if we were celebrating our anniversary! They were always very well behaved, always looked presentable and we were very proud of them. Those first years of marriage and the children’s early childhood were absolutely beautiful.
I still like the old-fashioned ways of treating a girl with respect and consideration -51 -
As Time Went On There would never be any Lashon Hara heard in our home
Above: Peter on the plot of land we were to build our home on in Sotogrande
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Peter used to say I was never demanding enough of our children, telling them what they should be doing. I felt – and that’s what I learnt from my own father – that when you do something, do it with a good heart, not because you are told to do it. I knew that I was the sort of person who if told to do something would do exactly the opposite! My father and his parenting style really got through to me. It could have been two weeks after an incident he was unhappy with and he would sit me down and say, “Sandy, you remember when…” and the message would register. On my part, I was determined to ensure we would always have respect for one another and that
there would never be any Lashon Hara or badmouthing heard in our home. My father also passed on the Zionist, Israel bug to us and actually brought us to Israel for the first time in 1960. I first came with Peter just after the Yom Kippur War. Before that he hadn’t really been exposed to Israel or Zionism at all. In terms of his Judaism, it was essentially Dunstan Road on Shabbat but I’m not sure what else the family observed. The business was doing well but Peter was becoming very stressed. He told me he wanted a more balanced life. That was one of the reasons we built a house in Sotogrande, Spain. Land was quite inexpensive at the time and there
Outside the Golf Clubhouse at Sotogrande
was a golf course nearby, a fine location to practice our new sport.
B&B near the coast or
When he first started in business, we didn’t take holidays apart from the occasional weekend at a
all work and no play.
in the country. It was It was fun though because we were building something.
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As Time Went On
Stephen Marks As an aside, Peter became friends – through tennis at Chandos – with Stephen Marks, now CEO of French Connection. Initially, it was Peter who lent Stephen the capital to start his first fashion business and he became to Stephen what my father had been to him. To this day, even with his huge empire, Stephen remains a most loyal friend.
In those years he was almost a daily visitor in our home. He was there too when I came home 48 hours after Jimmy was born and he would come with us to Stevie Wonder or Ray Charles concerts as well as regularly dancing with us in some of London’s nightclubs. Stephen has been a real godfather to Jimmy – “Send Jimmy to
me and I’ll train him” – which indeed was what happened. When Peter sold out to Ellis & Goldstein, a public company, he wasn’t happy because he still wanted to be his own boss. It was customary for the seller to remain in situ for a certain amount of time but Peter felt he couldn’t continue with that arrangement. So he simply gave them their money back and walked out. That was a fine example of his integrity. Stephen came round to the house after Peter had resigned and said, “Peter, we are going to open a shop together and I even know the name – Friends.” And they opened the first shop in South Molton Street in the heatwave summer of 1976. It was while we were working at Ellis & Goldstein that my brother was killed. Peter went to work in my father’s business for a very short period before we opened our first retail shop, Courtenay, in May 1974. In August the same year we had a horrific car accident in Spain.
Stephen flew out immediately and was there for us once again. Indeed, when Peter was dying in hospital, he whispered to me, “Sandy, if you need anything, go to Stephen.” That accident was a life-changing experience. I was very badly injured and remained in hospital for two months. Peter escaped with a cut jaw but his real concern was for me. I was deeply affected over and above the physical pain and then concerned for what my accident had done to my parents, who had lost their son two years earlier in another car accident.
upon help and I wanted to do as much as I could for myself. Peter, ever concerned for me, didn’t like me ironing and washing, so he asked our friend, Nanette Stolerman, to find me a Filipino to come once a week.
So he simply gave them their money back and walked out. That was a fine example of his integrity
We needed a new start. We had moved to a big home, we had a chauffeur, home help and I just wanted to sell all my things. “Possessions possess you.” I didn’t need all that stuff. I really felt we’d been given another chance. So I decided never to be dependent The façade of our first retail shop, Courtenay, 22 Brook Street
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Response-Ability
“If you can react the same way to winning and losing, that’s a big accomplishment. That quality is important because it stays with you the rest of your life and there’s going to be a life after tennis that’s a lot longer than your tennis life” Chris Evert
Peter speaking at the Ashkelon Tennis Centre
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The Start of Another Lifetime Romance
Work under way for the Ashkelon Centre
From the minute we boarded that El Al plane in March 1974, after the Yom Kippur War, Peter fell in love with the whole idea of Israel. There was a stage where we didn’t go anywhere else for our holidays. Of course it was a very different place back then in the early 70s. Even the taxi drivers were very educated people. Jerusalem was our first stop, then Haifa and I remember one of our taxi drivers taking us home to meet his family! It was so genuine, so pure and unadulterated. And being there just after the war was a very moving experience. It was on that trip that Peter looked up Ian Froman and we had dinner
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with him and his wife Ruth. Ian – who had represented South Africa in the Davis Cup – had taken a year out of his dental studies to come to London and Peter had befriended him at the club, invited him home for Friday night and a real friendship had begun. As we were to find out then – and in many instances in our life together – nothing was by chance. On that first Israel trip, Ian told Peter his dream was to open a tennis centre in Ramat Hasharon. Peter thought he was crazy. But as we began making Israel a regular port of call, coming for Pesach, bringing the kids, Ian’s dream began to take shape. On one trip, when we were staying at the Dan Caesarea, Peter received a message saying Ian was looking
for him and he should go out to the tennis courts.
perfectionist and liked to do his own thing.
They were putting on an exhibition with Israeli children playing tennis. Peter had actually just become involved with the Jewish Blind Society in London and Ian, on behalf of the new Israel Tennis Centre, wanted Peter to take charge of UK fundraising. He told them he couldn’t because of his commitment to the Blind Society but they wouldn’t let go. The great Bill Lippy, the American ear surgeon who was one of the founders of the centres, actually flew to London with Ian to convince Peter to do it. And they wouldn’t let him out of his own office until he agreed!
When it came to fundraising, Bill had a style that was always charming but very powerful. He’s a very humble yet charismatic man. He taught Peter how to fundraise and Peter adapted Bill’s American style to the English
That symbolizes the success of Israel in those days. The whole country was full of people who were passionately focused on their particular goal, prepared to do anything to make it happen. Bill Lippy became a huge influence on Peter. He was a perfectionist. I’d never seen Peter respond to anybody like Bill because he too was very much a
mentality. Peter would actually shake whenever Bill came over! He knew he had to produce results for him. Magnanimously, Bill and his wife Sandra still came to see us when Peter was incapacitated and could no longer come to the Israel Tennis Centre meetings.
Bill Lippy behind Peter and Sandy at the dedication of the Martin Goldser Library in Ashkelon
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The Start of Another Lifetime Romance
Goldstein brought a group of their best donors to Israel for a fundraiser, they gave them the very best, ensuring every detail was just right, even down to the number of hangers in the rooms and the type of flowers on the table.
At the time my only wish was that Peter would walk into the Boca Raton Tennis Club and see me. I was more excited about telling him than actually playing with Rod!
Peter loved telling tennis stories. Two of his particular favorites were actually about me: I was once asked to partner the late Yitzchak Rabin in a doubles match against his wife, Leah, and her partner. I refused though because I couldn’t take the pressure!
Peter (bottom left) outside the finished centre
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We were quite unusual amongst our friends in the London social scene. Very few of them went to Israel and they certainly didn’t have the same love and enthusiasm that we did. As we became more and more involved in the tennis and other Israeli causes, it became harder and harder for us to find common areas of interest.
So much so that we decided we wanted a home in Israel. We eventually bought an apartment in Herzliya around 1980. When Peter embarked on the Tennis Centre, he didn’t just give money and say do what you like with it. He was completely and totally involved. He was like that with everything he did. For example, when he and Peter
And the one and only time we were in Florida, I happened to be at the right place at the right time. I was asked to partner Rod Laver* in a doubles match against the then Chairman of Nabisco and his wife. Rod was Peter’s hero but Peter wasn’t there! I did play with Rod, but I was so overcome with awe that I told him that I too was left-handed and so which side of the court did he want me to stand in?
Peter with a young friend
Sometimes he was so intensely involved with the tennis, I used to say to him, “Darling, think about the business and relax.”
* Rod Laver was an Australian tennis champion in the 60s and 70s who still holds the record for the most singles titles won in the history of tennis.
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The original UK committee at our very first exhibition in London. Top row (left to right): Louis Mortner, Freddie Krevine (Founder Trustee), Jack Rockman, Sydney Stolerman, Daphne Hatter, Harvey Bird, Sandy, Adrienne Morris, Martin Boston. Centre: Peter, Donald Sharp, Wendy Bird, Nanette Stolerman, Corine Rockman, Shlomo Zoref (Head Coach), John Miller. Children who came from Israel with Shlomo: Orli Bialostozki, Dalia Koriat, Max Osherov, Gilad Bloom.
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It's not easy to watch somebody, especially someone you love so much, slowly dissolve in front of your eyes. Maybe I was able to cope because of my childhood experience with my friend Rosemary's father and seeing how her mother had dealt with it so incredibly.
Coping with Tragedy We eventually left Israel after permanently being there for three years. We were there during the first Intifada with the bus bombings – Peter had a share in the Hard Rock Cafe next to the Dizengoff Centre – but he just couldn’t take the stress. The Multiple Sclerosis was affecting his nervous system so we alternated between Knokke, Belgium and Israel. Those were probably the best times… I feel very blessed that I had a father who was so Talmudic and able to accept there was always a reason for tragedy, often far beyond our understanding. He never asked, "Why?" Peter was the same during his illness. He never ever questioned
it. It actually took him a whole month to tell me what he had at first (although he had confided in Stephen). We shared everything and it was obviously extremely painful for him to break the news. What he did do though was to subject himself to every new treatment and drug in its trial phase. Up to the very end he hoped they could find a miracle cure. That courageous stubbornness was not easy to live with. Not everyone would have been prepared to expose themselves to the risks and side effects but Peter was different. He was a fighter. And that fighter was everything to me – my father, mother, confidant, friend, lover, everything…
And because of my faith. I recited a lot of Psalms and put my trust in G-d. On a day to day level, you just have to roll up your sleeves and deal with what life dishes up, always giving comfort and support. You also have to have a lot of energy because it's very draining.
“Nothing contributes so much to tranquilise the mind as a steady purpose.” (Mary Shelley) That very much sums up Peter, whether his purpose was the tennis, the business or anything else. I think his dream was really to have peace of mind, a balanced life, a full life and to give as much
back to society as he could. But he didn’t see himself as anything special, even when he made it in business, became International Chairman of the Tennis Centre or received any other honour.
With Danny Gelley and Marcia Landsberg
An illustration of that began when we met Prof. Michael Sela, who was head of the Weitzman Institute in Rehovot. Our friendship started in 1986, after my father passed away. Sara,
On the famous scooter in Knokke
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Coping with Tragedy
Enjoying a special moment with Yael
Michael's wife, had just begun to head up fundraising for the Israel Philharmonic Foundation and we donated a 'seat in perpetuity' in memory of my father in what was then the Mann Auditorium. I began to help Sara and we became close friends. As soon as Peter told me he had been diagnosed with MS, Sara was the first person I called because she'd mentioned that Michael had specialised in MS. Within minutes, Michael was on the phone to Peter
a host of other celebrities – and asked Peter to sign it.
received far more than he had
"Michael, I can't write anything in here. I'm just an ordinary guy."
that. He remained humble till the
But Michael insisted and Peter is in there with the best of the best.
In the last few years, when he was
He would say to me, "Sandy, who am I? Such an ordinary man yet look at the experiences we have had as a result of being involved."
there all the time. He didn't want to
I think that was his reward. He simply took great pleasure in what had been created through his efforts. I think he felt he'd
make it less painful for me.
and gave him the name of his protégé, Prof. Oded Abramsky, Head of Neurology at Hadassah, who was also to become a close and dear friend. On our next trip to Israel, Michael invited us to the Weitzman Institute and personally took us around the campus. Once back in his office he proudly showed Peter his Visitors Book – full of autographs and messages from US Presidents, heads of state, Pablo Picasso and
given and he always appreciated very end. extremely unwell, he wanted me be a burden to anyone. He tried to protect me. He didn't tell me every single thing because he wanted to That was just his way. He did everything his way.
Three ways are open to a man who is in sorrow. He who stands on the normal rung weeps, he who stands higher is silent but he who stands on the topmost rung converts his sorrow into song. Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk
At the Ashkelon Centre
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Romance - 68 -
“Some say that the age of chivalry is past, that the spirit of romance is dead. The age of chivalry is never past, so long as there is a wrong left unredressed on earth” Charles Kingsley
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Peter’s Wisdom on Business & Life
Planning Work with a diary (or organizer). Arrange your business appointments for the days, weeks and months ahead. If it is necessary to make changes to your schedule, do so. By keeping the diary with appointments for every day, this will ensure you do not waste your time and you will plan your business life efficiently.
Money & Business
Time
When it comes to borrowing money, I think you should always borrow more than you need for longer than you need.
Time – it is easy to waste hours every day by not planning ahead. Your most precious possession is your time. Be busy every day building your business. You decide how big you want your business to become.
When it comes to lending money, never expect to get the money back. When it comes to spending money, always ask yourself, “Do I really need this?” In terms of savings, my rule was always safety first. You shouldn’t always go after the highest rate of return. If you enter a deal, my advice is to always make sure you have a ‘get out’ clause to protect yourself. In general, my attitude about investment is not to invest at the bottom or sell at the top. Be satisfied with a profit.
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Life passes very quickly and when you’re young, these are the years when you will have the most energy to establish yourself and start building your fortune.
Asking When listening, you are learning. When talking, you are not learning. Someone else is. Learn to ask questions, you will be surprised how much information you will discover.
Success in 5 Words
Prioritize. Focus. Never give up.
Life’s Values Perhaps I can sum up my attitude to life by saying it is best to be independent and to have peace of mind after honouring your obligations. My deepest values are loyalty, integrity and honesty. I have always lived by counting my blessings – one of the best things about growing older! And by never comparing myself to anybody else.
Israel Be proud as a Jew that we have a Jewish country. Being able to speak the language (Hebrew) is a very essential thing for you to enjoy being in Israel. The powerful influence of communicating, studying and socializing in Ivrit creates a lifelong appreciation of our heritage and a love of Israel. It serves to unify future generations in what has disturbingly become a diminishing and disinterested Diaspora community.
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Being Jewish My religious beliefs are to continue the traditions of Judaism I was taught as a child. I always remember how fortunate I was to be born a Jew and try to set an example as a decent human being.
Desire and Decision
Leaving a Legacy
Do you have the burning desire to achieve your goal?
The people who influenced me the most were those who passed on their experiences in life that would surely be of lasting value.
Everyone is different, from the man with grand ambition to the man happy with a small business. There is no disgrace but it must be your conscious decision. Decisions made at the start of your business career often decide the direction of all your business life.
They influenced me because they had themselves overcome the challenges of humble beginnings. They expressed themselves modestly and yet with the strong conviction from their own success.
Some of my father’s maxims, many of which Peter wholeheartedly adopted: Read the ‘Ethics of the Fathers’ Never let there be a ‘broigus’ (argument) in the family If you don’t have anything good to say about a person, say nothing Once words have left your lips, you are no longer the master of your own thoughts Never mix business with friendship Don’t look at other people and think that they are better off than yourself Even when you are suffering, strive to happy Don’t ask, just do! By the Kinneret on our first trip to Israel,1974
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Do everything with a good heart
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A letter Peter wrote to granddaughter Yael, on her Bat Mitzvah, April 2002:
My Darling Yael, Your life is just beginning, promising so much – opportunities, happiness, fulfillment, frustration and disappointment. All of these different experiences and how you cope with them will depend only on you. Will you think carefully before taking action or will you react to the circumstances in which you find yourself, relying on luck to succeed? When one is young, even wrong and thoughtless decisions can be overcome or indeed prove to turn out as the best course of action. Unfortunately, as time passes, life becomes more unforgiving and mistakes become ever more difficult to recover from.
So if you can, even now, start to develop the habit of thinking carefully before making decisions, no matter how small, you will develop a character that will keep you safe in a world full of danger. Firstly learn to love and respect yourself. If you achieve this, you will love and respect others, who will in turn respect you. Respect is a very important word in our life that few fully understand. Without it, we give ourselves limitations and with it, the possibility of real love and lasting friendship. So give your respect to all you meet, do not be nervous. However, if your respect is not returned in full, distance yourself from that person, for they cannot be relied upon.
Have ambitions and make plans, even now. You can keep them in the back of your mind and work slowly towards your goals. Don’t discuss your thoughts with anybody, they are yours and only safe with you. Remember that if you tell only one person your secret, it is no longer a secret. Kindness and consideration to others, at all times, are qualities that will serve to enrich your life, never harm you and bring you ever closer to your family and friends. My prayers are forever with you. That your life will be calm, full of love and affection, surrounded by peace. Your loving Grandpa, Peter
With Yael and Jon in Antwerp
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Family - 76 -
“The love of family and the admiration of friends are much more important than wealth and privilege� Charles Kuralt
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Jane It’s my Dad who made me the person I am. When it was becoming really tough to keep him at home, I couldn’t have done it if I hadn’t been his daughter. I have his determination and dedication. Because he was the kind of person who never gave up. He said it back to me the whole time. Never give up. He wanted to do more. Not for one moment did he think, “I'm so ill I can't do any more.” Not at all. Even as he was on his last legs, he was working to make sure someone would take over as trustee of the tennis centres in London. If people weren’t well or in trouble, he would do everything in his power to help them, even if it meant turning up in the middle of the night. Because he was the kind of friend you could call and know he would be there for you. I have such lovely childhood memories. We did so much and had so much fun as a family. Even just sitting around a table, laughing and chatting. You could always laugh with my dad. He might have been tough with me as a kid – he had a very no-
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nonsense approach – but he was always kind and very funny. With him behind me I felt safe and protected. He taught us by example. It was never, “You should be doing this, you should be doing that.” It was all by example. Because he was the kind of Dad who practised what he preached. He and Mummy built such a happy home for us, they gave me the confidence I have in myself today. He taught me so many life values and a deep respect for other human beings. There was no pressure to achieve, just to do my best. I never put pressure on our kids either because I never felt that pressure myself. That is a wonderful thing for a child not to have.
I am so amazing?” He genuinely thought he was just an average person. Because he was that modest.
made it easier for us because I couldn’t have kept him at home much longer. I believe that. Because he was that kind of person.
My mum and him were one. They had the most amazing marriage and it was so difficult for them at the end. But it was also beautiful. Mummy was there every day, holding his hand. That’s all he would have wanted. Because he was that kind of husband. He always looked elegant and smiled at me even in some of the darkest moments. When he came to the hospital for the last time, on a very cold and snowy day, I shouted at the ambulance men to cover him up. Because that's what he would have done.
Daddy was a very modest person. He never saw himself as something special yet he proved himself very good at being superhuman.
He would have made sure that whoever was suffering was being looked after. That's how he looked after his mum and sister when his father was ill.
“I don’t want to be a burden on you,” he said over those last few months. And he never was.
He said to me, “This is it girl. This is it. We’ve come to the end of the road now.” Everything was always “we”.
Literally a week or ten days before he went into hospital I said, “Oh Daddy, you are so amazing.” He just smiled one of his lovely smiles and said, “Darling, why do you think
A lot of people said he seemed depressed at the end. I would say no. My dad didn’t do depressed. It wasn’t him. He didn’t do feeling sorry for himself. Jimmy said Daddy
With Jane at the bottom of our road, Northway, in the Market Place
He loved to chat. When my Dad was at school, the teacher used to say that if no one would talk to Peter he would talk to the wall. He was knowledgeable about so many things you could talk to him about anything. “Oh it's just a load of useless information,” he would say. Our kids loved listening to him. He lovingly dispensed wise advice and left it up to them whether they applied it or not. Because he was that kind of Grandpa.
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He was really careful with money. He would say to me, “Jane, I’ve got holes in my socks,” implying I should darn them for him. It became a bit of a joke between us. He was careful for himself but very generous to his charities. And he just loved life. He told me his one regret was that every year he could have done something and he didn’t do it. He said, to me, “Jane, just do what you can because every year I made the mistake of thinking, well, you know, I can do that next year,” and each time his condition deteriorated. Don’t put anything off. Just do whatever you want to do and do it now. Because he was the type of person who just did it. And in the best way possible.
He was such a personality. He made an impression on people even when he was in such a terrible state. For example, he went to shul regularly on Shabbat for the last few months of his life, come rain or shine. My brother took him and he loved it. The rabbi got his sons to carry Dad up to the bimah every week to give him an aliyah.
Marc
They really loved him and treated him like a mensch. But you know why? Because my Dad treated people like they were mensches too. And it didn't matter whether they were the gardener or the Prime Minister of Israel. Daddy treated everyone with the utmost respect. Because he was that kind…
Jane and Marc
I was so nervous the first time I met Peter. I had come to ask for Jane’s hand in marriage and I was literally shaking. I arrived at their home, had dinner and plucked up enough courage to say, “Excuse me, Mr Collins, can I speak to you?”
He was such a well respected and beloved individual. When you see all the letters Jane and her mother received after he passed away, you’d think he was president of a country. People listened to him. Even the specialists and professors treating his disease. He would be telling them what they should be doing.
23 years later, a few hours before he left us, he took my arm and said his last words to me, “Do me a favour Marc. Let her spend all your money.”
With all his wonderful character traits and variety of life experiences, Peter Collins lived and personified three words:
And his last words to Jon were, “Look after your Grandma.”
Focus.
That somebody should look after Sandy.
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And his glass was never half-empty. He always looked at the half-full side of things and how to solve problems in a positive way. I never heard him utter a word of complaint.
And he said, “The only thing I want is for you to be kind to my daughter. I don’t care about the rest. You have to be kind to her and the rest is up to you.”
That was always his main concern.
With the Roths at Sabine’s (Marc’s mother’s) 70th party in their Antwerp home
He was a very wise and totally honest man. I could always go to him if I had a problem or just chat with him about sports, politics, anything. Even though he loved to talk, he always brought the conversation around to meaningful, purposeful wisdom. He was very positive with the kids and always gave good advice to anybody who asked him.
Never himself.
Respect. Prioritise. May we and our children live like that too and be a credit to a man whose life – and death – was an example to us all.
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Jimmy To my dear Dad, who… Taught me to be kind, honest, love myself, have self-respect and show respect to others.
Dad immediately dashed out to the street and confronted these two big guys to their faces.
Never put me under any pressure to achieve, only to do my best.
He had no fear in doing the right thing.
Inspired me to focus, prioritise, never give up and go for it.
Never burdened me with any of your problems. You asked how my life was and showed a great deal of interest. We spent many hours talking about my business and you gave me fantastic advice which I will never forget.
Selene
There were two painters in overalls wandering around the building and we suddenly noticed that Mummy’s fur coat –hanging behind the door - had disappeared.
Sometimes came down hard on me when I was growing up. Today I feel very differently. Your tough approach was exactly what I needed.
Always advised us to save for the future and not to spend.
Daddy was a great man - my hero - who showed courage, determination and sensitivity. Once, when I was about to go back to Carmel College after a half-term break, we were in his office above Courtenay in Brook Street.
Always made time to talk, continuously teaching me everything you knew, sharing your mistakes and guiding me to make the right decisions.
Gifted me with the inner security for life, skills of communication and to be a balanced person.
PS.
Dad, I still hear your voice today, telling me the truth. I know it always came from love. Even in those last few days in hospital you told me to go home and look after my family.
I feel blessed to have had 45 beautiful years with him and I am grateful he was finally able to see me so happy with Selene, Freddie, Kaya and Teo.
An Afternoon with Peter We would organise it in advance. It was our special time together. I took it as a real compliment being that at that time I was a new addition to the Collins family. Peter was immaculate. Wearing a cashmere sweater, pressed shirt and suede shoes, with the faint scent of Penhaligon’s in the air. Oh, how refined. Conversation flowed freely, meandering its way from family to business, world affairs, travel, culture and all the way back to family again. Peter was a true family man. Peter spoke of his love for Sandy. He told me he was the luckiest man alive! He would reminisce, tales of the blessed life they shared.
I love you Dad. I think about you every day and will always deeply miss you. Your son,
I deeply miss my afternoons with Peter. I treasure the time we shared.
Jimmy
Peter and Jimmy
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Jon Grandpa started to give me life lessons from when I was very young. Whenever we were in Knokke, Grandpa arranged a meeting with me in his office, teaching me something new every time and willingly giving me a wealth of business advice. And he would repeat the same motto: “Jon, focus, prioritise and never give up!” By mutual agreement, our ‘official meetings’ ended by turning on the TV and focusing on a love we shared – sport. Thanks to Grandpa I now not only have an understanding of cricket but I actually
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enjoy it! Unfortunately though, we had bitter disagreements over football as Grandpa supported the wrong team… Grandpa never complained about his health and that was a powerful lesson he taught me without realizing. His courage and elegance at the worst of times made me admire him even more. His last words to me were, “Jon, look after Grandma.” And that probably sums up who he was. Despite his business success and his charitable activities he was, above all, a loving and caring family man. And I for one am eternally grateful for that.
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You were such a special Grandpa, caring, loving and most of all always giving us the best advice. You taught us that it is important to ‘focus’ and ‘prioritise’ in life, to ask ourselves: “Do I really need this, is this necessary?” These are merely two examples of the many lessons you passed along to us. I will value them for the rest of my life and pass them on to my children. Not a day goes by without me thinking about you. I wish I could have shown you my new business cards – you would have loved them – so chic and professional.
Yael Hi Grandpa, I am not sure how to describe what I am feeling right now. I am writing this text lying in my bed in my new(ish) apartment in London. I wish you could have seen it. It’s gorgeous.
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Whenever I feel overwhelmed in any situation, I think to myself; “What would Grandpa say?” and it always helps me put things back into perspective. Grandpa, you were such an important part of my life. You have inspired me in so many ways and I am so grateful that I had the chance to spend so many precious moments with you. You will be missed forever. Grandpa, I love you for always and forever.
Yael
Grandma is my new neighbour, which is probably the most exciting thing that has happened over the past couple of months. I love it. As time goes by, there are so many things I wish I could have shared with you. I miss our extended conversations about jobs, boys, university, Israel, sports and life in general.
With Marc’s parents at Yael’s Bat Mitzvah
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Michal Grandpa, There are so many things you have given to us. You are the one who taught us all the important lessons in life. And the more time goes by, the more I realise you were always right. You were always positive even though you were going through a lot of pain. You never complained and you were the one to tell us to get our lives together when we were complaining.
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Whenever I was having a bad day I thought about you and said to myself, “Grandpa isn’t complaining about anything, why should I?” I have always admired your strength and I wish I could have the same strength as you. You were amazing to everyone and I think about you all the time.
Freddie, Kaya & Teo
I miss you so much and love you forever.
Michal
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Four generations: Raie Goldser, Sandy Collins, Jane Roth and daughters Yael and Michal
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Charity - 92 -
“The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in willing service� Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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The Tennis Centres
down for?” Nobody else did that. It takes a lot of guts to do that.
Dr. Bill Lippy
one of the founders of the Israel Tennis Centres, who recruited Peter to the cause
Of all the wonderful people I have met throughout my life, I have never met anyone quite like Peter Collins. I simply loved him.
He was simply consumed. Driven. A man with a passion and a mission.
I first met Sandy and Peter at an Israel Tennis Centres’ tennis exhibition in Caesarea. They were there with her parents, the Goldsers, and her dad wrote us a cheque. Peter thought the Tennis Centres were a great idea and I asked him straight, “Peter, would you help us in London?” “Yes,” he said. Well, from that day – probably ’77 or ’78 – until he passed away, there was no one that exceeded Peter’s efforts. No one. We have about 5,000 donors who recruit others to donate but Peter topped them all.
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So much so that I think one of the last things he said to Sandy before he passed on was, “I have to ask so and so for more money.” Take how he ran exhibitions for example. He must have organized
People always gave money at Peter’s exhibitions – lots of money… scores. The way we did it in the States was to ask people who had a tennis court to host it and invite 20, 30, 40 friends. We would bring four children and a coach and explain the programme. These kids – 6, 8, 12-year-olds – would then hit and it was great fun to watch. Afterwards, the host would say, “Hope you enjoyed it. If you want to help, come up to one of us during cocktails and tell us what you want to do.” A very soft sell. Peter was clinical. Always a gentleman but clinical all the same. After his exhibitions he went around with a clipboard and notepad saying, “Okay Harry, what are you going to do? What can I put you
Two or three years after he’d joined us, he organised a group of 200 Londoners to come to Israel for the opening of the Ashkelon Centre, his personal baby. 200 people! Who actually knew why they were coming! And he raised an inordinate amount of money on that trip. “What can I put you down for?” For years, England – through one remarkable man – raised almost as much as the entire United States. It would have been a miniscule contribution without him. One man. Setting the groundwork, drafting the by-laws, involving lawyers to do the work for free and then just plugging on with exhibition after exhibition. Going
Peter and Jonny Manson at Ramat Hasharon
to see people personally. Organising a trip of 200. Work, work, work. Almost right up to the end. He loved to come out to Israel and watch the kids. He knew so many of them by name and really cared. Sandy was just as supportive. He could never have done it without her. Here’s a great Peter story. He was preparing a series of exhibitions and asked me if I would come and help so I flew to London. We were in his office on Bond Street. He said, “Bill, we’re not exhibiting until such and
such a date but we can’t sit here and do nothing so let me call so and so.” This guy was in the meat packing business. The biggest in London. So he called him and the conversation went something like this: “How are you George? How are you feeling?” “Well hello Peter. I actually have a bit of a cold.” “Yes, yes George. There are a lot of colds going around London now.” And those guys talked for 40 seconds about a cold!
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The Tennis Centres
An American would never talk about a cold. “Tough luck buddy, let’s get down to business.” Peter was different. After discussing the guy’s cold and the weather, he says, “George, listen. I have a friend here from the States and we have a fantastic project we would like to talk to you about so how about if we pop over for lunch? Oh you are busy. How about if we come over for cocktails? What? You have an appointment? So let’s have breakfast tomorrow. Also not? Lunch? How about tomorrow night? Tell you what, make us two cheese sandwiches. We’re coming over right now!” And we did. And the guy wrote a cheque. That’s how Peter was. Wonderfully quiet and polite on the one hand and on the other you just couldn’t say no to him.
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Here’s another illustration of just how special he was. Our friend Jonny Manson, from Manchester, was making an Aufruf (Shabbat before the wedding) for his son. Peter, needing a lot of help with his wheelchair, flew from Antwerp to Manchester just for the Shabbat and came straight home.
Apart from his astonishing fundraising ability, he was also hugely valuable to the international board as a stickler for procedure. We had about 70 members but it was Peter who crossed every t and dotted every i.
That was Peter. The ultimate friend. Way beyond the call of duty.
Whether it was the by-laws, the minutes, a committee report, he would say, “Wait a minute, I don’t see this here, this is missing, this is not what we decided.” He actually read all the minutes. As loose and fun loving as he was, he was absolutely tight at meetings. He kept us from making a lot of crucial and expensive mistakes even though he was a pain in the backside. The other 69 were saying, “Come on, let’s go on,” but Peter would say, “Hold on, wait a minute,” and he was always right. His determination always won the day.
Peter was also a romantic. When Sandra and I married he suggested the South of France for our honeymoon. He also picked the hotel and the exact room.
As sweet as he was, he also had the guts for total confrontation. Not many people have that strong sense of standing up for the right thing. Peter did.
Not many people have that strong sense of standing up for the right thing. Peter did
For example, there was one occasion when we wanted an executive session, which means all of the people who work for the organisation leave the room and we can talk openly. One of the women didn’t want to leave and a couple of the Israeli committee members stood by her. Peter said, “I’m sorry but you’ve got to leave. Those are the rules.” We couldn’t say that, because we were all friends. But he said it. Sweet and lovely but tough and driven. He was also a great businessman, something we really needed at the time. He supervised the process for attaining tax-deductible status for us in England. Not a simple process at all. Sometimes he almost acted like a lawyer and we greatly respected him for it. For the last 10 years or so of his life he came to meetings in his wheelchair. Whenever we talked on the phone it was always, “I’m fine. I’m doing well.” Peter never complained.
There was only one meeting he ever missed. My Sandra said to me, “You know, I bet he won’t make another meeting. Let’s go and see him.”
to be helped. But still, “How do you feel Peter?” “Great Bill. Great.” As we were leaving, I stooped down to the chair and we hugged. It was like any other time, could have been 20-30 years ago. No “Bill, I may not see you again” or anything like that. “Everything is great.” That was Peter.
Bill and Sandra
So we went to Antwerp, spent three days with him and we really thank G-d for that. It was so special. They were using a hoist to move him from his bed to the wheelchair, from the wheelchair to the table. Didn’t leave his room until 10 o’clock. It took them that long to hoist him from the bed, put him on the toilet, bathe him. He was helpless. He could not even stand up
Peter Collins was a loving, caring, tenacious and extremely productive man. With Sandy at his side, he was responsible for leveraging a marvellously conceived programme, using tennis as a vehicle to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israeli children. He was also passionate about presenting a very different, positive and wonderful image of Israel to the world. And to give these kids a vision, a hope, a chance to become champions in tennis or whatever field they chose to pursue. That was Peter.
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The Tennis Centres
Ian Froman
Former Israeli Davis Cup player and a founder of the Israel Tennis Centres (Adapted from Ian’s book, “The Fun in Fundraising” and reprinted with his blessing)
When Freddie [Krivine] moved back with his family to Israel, the leadership and chairmanship of the British team of the Israel Tennis Centres was left in the hands of Peter Collins. What a windfall for us all! Had he known from day one of the concept, I am sure that Peter would have been one of the founder trustees. The man was a dynamo. He travelled all over England at every opportunity, calling and visiting, arranging exhibitions with the kids, and fundraising, with Ronnie Sender as the coach,
sometimes with me and usually with my wife Ruthie as the public relations person and speaker. Peter, ably helped by his beautiful wife Sandra and together with their family, were also major donors to the Centres. What an example he set in every way. Over the next 30 years, Peter spearheaded the English fundraising of many millions of dollars for the Israel Tennis Centres. Had it not been for Peter, I don’t believe the strength or great results of the English group would have ever materialized.
The man was a dynamo. What an example he set in every way With Ian and Ruth Froman and Alan Goldstein, former ITC International Chairman
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Ronen Moralli
former coach of the Israeli Davis Cup team and of the Israeli doubles pair that won the Australian Open title
Everything I have achieved in tennis is thanks to Peter. As a 12-year-old kid growing up in Ashkelon in a oneparent family, I would never have been able to play tennis without Peter’s backing. The Ashkelon Centre is his baby and I think it’s the most beautiful centre in Israel. He was the father I never had. My mentor. And the person who shaped the values by which I live my life. Peter shone the light on my path in life, showing me the clear and correct way to go. On my first trip overseas, at age 14 to play in a
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tournament in England, I stayed with Peter and Sandy and they really made me feel at home, showing me around and giving me the time of my life.
He believed in what he did with all his heart and soul I remember the awful feeling of losing in the first round of that competition and thinking about how I wouldn’t make it and why bother and all sorts of other negative and demoralising emotions.
Dedication of the Martin Goldser Library, Ashkelon
Peter took me aside and put things in perspective. “This is only one step on the long road Ronen. Keep trying, become a better person. Tennis is a lot more than winning or losing.” Peter saw tennis as a vehicle to build successful, contributing members of society. For him, it was more than money. He invested himself.
And he believed in what he did with all his heart and soul. The Ashkelon project is a unique educational project of the highest degree, literally saving hundreds of children from disadvantaged neighborhoods and giving them a chance in life. He was always a gentleman, always smiling (even during the tough times) and always focused on the bright side of life.
I found it very hard to see him deteriorating, especially as his mind was still all there as was his sense of humour. But he was and is always with me. I think about what he would say, what he would advise me and I carry his values with me and in how I transmit my knowledge to the coaches I train. Challenges instead of problems, focus and always look on the bright side of life.
The last time I saw him, I had just given a presentation to the ITC Board and he told me it was very good and that he was proud of me. I have been blessed to have had such a father, who in his own quiet but forceful way showed me how to live life, how to persevere and how to look for the good in every situation. Thank you Peter, from the depths of my heart.
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The Tennis Centres
Eli Crystal a devoted friend and member of the ITC International Board
One of the things Peter and I had in common – and which we always joked about – was the fact that Sandy agreed to marry him and Orit agreed to marry me. As he used to say, we must have at least done something good in our young lives if we were so blessed with our wives. One December evening, in the Hilton Tel Aviv in December 2012, the conversation somehow got around to Woody Allen’s movie about Rome. From that point, the road to singing “Volare” was extremely short. Like two impish children, we looked at each other and just started singing, half screaming - “Volare, oh oh Cantare, ho ho ho ho…”
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ignoring the other people around us. That picture of Peter, with the naughty look in his sparkling eyes followed by
Above all, I loved his simplicity, generosity and modesty the wide smile… the blush in his cheeks as we landed and stopped with people just staring at us… that is the picture of Peter I take with me wherever I go. A moment of true happiness and I am so lucky to have this memory. I loved him so very much. Above all, I loved his simplicity, generosity and
modesty. This giant of a man – who was one of the main architects and builders involved in the Israel Tennis Centres and devoted his life, time and money for this blessed project – was never selfabsorbed, full of his own ego or interested in fame and honour. He just continued to work hard in his own way with great love and devotion. Through Peter’s eyes and our long talks – sometimes about the most painful things – I knew what Sandy and the family were going through. I heard expressions of his pain, his condition and the impact it was having on Sandy and the family, the great love he had for her
and his admiration for the way she accepted things and rose to the challenge. As he told me, his situation sentenced Sandy to a verdict of pain in midlife. Throughout our long
granddaughter Michal to a concert at the Philharmonic. Peter and I were sitting talking and we spotted Sandy coming towards us shining with happiness, telling us of the
Peter was looking at her with eyes full of love and from the position of his body I could see his calmness, listening to Sandy with a big smile on his face. When she left for a
Eli Crystal at a ceremony in memory of Freddie Krevine, Akko Tennis Centre, 2010
conversations about life, death, illness, I knew just how hard it was. It was at that time that Sandy went with her
wonderful experience she had just had. The orchestra had played Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in South American style along with some jazz pieces.
moment, he looked at me and said, “Ah, Eli, what a girl…” In what turned out to be our last conversation, as
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The Tennis Centres
Peter was escorting me to the elevator, he said, “Eli, look. I, a normal fellow, together with my friends, created and opened 14 tennis centres all over Israel. We raised millions of dollars to build the facilities – mostly in distressed neighbourhoods – to improve the lives of Israeli children through tennis. This is the modest but wonderful contribution I have given to the children of Israel.”
the passing years will not be able to dull your light. Our last talk was about death and your attitude to death, maybe because it was clear to us both that this was our final
Peter, I might not be able to fulfill all of your requests but I will do my best to fulfill one thing you did not ask for. I will do my best to spread your spirit and special presence throughout all of our centres.
The elevator came, he gave me his special smile, I bent down to kiss his forehead, said goodbye and left him for the very last time… Dear Peter, so far I have spoken about you. Now allow me to say a few words to you. Peter, I am sure that your image will remain bright and clear as always for me and for others and even
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conversation. Nevertheless, I couldn’t imagine how quickly you would disappear from my life. We raised all kinds of possibilities about how it would come, how it should be, requests and other things we promised to continue to talk about.
You will continue to live in my heart and in the hearts of everyone who knew you.
“This is the modest but wonderful contribution I have given to the children of Israel”
And I know that you – my older brother – will accompany me every time I visit the Tennis Centres. Dear Peter, we will remember you, mention you and love you forever.
Ed Reicin
Peter’s successor as International Chairman
Israel Tennis Centre – Recognition Every Chairman sets a tone and a tempo during his administration. And every Chairman brings with him certain innate talents and attributes which he uses as his tools during his position of leadership. Peter Collins’s pronounced qualities are his elegance, his refinement and his gentility. Although he is an Englishman, he must be a ‘hassid’, a disciple of the American President, Theodore Roosevelt, whose famous quote was, “Speak softly but carry a big stick.” Like Roosevelt, Peter always spoke softly, argued with few if any, yet was tenaciously able to bring his programmes and ideas to fruition. The power of the Presidency, the big stick, was
there but never had to be used. A gifted leader is one who is capable of touching your heart. Peter touched our hearts and our minds and our spirits. Many of us during our lifetimes experience a period of ill health, a difficult time, a time when we would like to rid ourselves of duties and obligations. Yet precisely during such a time, Peter took on the challenging and demanding job of the Chairmanship, a job which required both emotional and physical stamina. Never once did he use his illness as an excuse. He fulfilled every task and more! And here I must pay homage to his wife, Sandra, for she too had to spend
time and effort and a disruption of her life while Peter took on the task of leading ITC. She was with him during the months they spent in Israel. She was with him at the Centre. She was with him as more than partner but as confederate, as ally, as coworker. In his book, “Theodor Herzl”, author Israel Zangwill wrote, “To save a people, leaders must be lost.” The meaning is that a leader has to have a vision beyond that of the crowd. A leader has to have a dream. You, Peter, had certain dreams and goals and you have doggedly worked on them. Your successors will try to carry out that vision so that all can enjoy their fulfillment.
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The Tennis Centres
Centre in Ashkelon… Nir immediately rushed back and asked me about my connection to the Tennis Centre. He then sat down and did not stop talking for about half an hour. Here is a summary of what he told us:
Ethiopian children at the Ashkelon Centre
Match Point
How the Israel Tennis Centre transforms lives (Adapted from a letter to Sandy from Eli Crystal) “In the morning we arrived at the hotel in Cancun, waiting to check in. We were sitting in the lobby when a young
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man passed by, heard the Hebrew and came over to say hello. “Hi, my name is Nir, I am originally from Ashkelon but now I live in Charleston, South Carolina…”
We chatted for a while and he left to go. While he was obviously still in hearing range, I mentioned to my partner that not long ago we had arranged an event at the Tennis
“I grew up in a very poor neighborhood of Ashkelon with a father who was one of the most notorious and feared criminals in town… His life was a predictable cycle – into prison, home for few months and back to jail again. The only thing I wanted was to be like my father, strong and powerful, commanding respect and inspiring fear. Then, surprisingly, one day he told me about a new tennis centre in the city and suggested I go learn how to play. I arrived and Herzl, the legendary coach, took me under his wing and
taught me the game… Bobo also helped and Benny Schwartz taught me the meaning of selfdiscipline. They opened a world I never knew existed... I started to spend every day there. It became my second home and my life gradually began to change, step by step. I acquired a new attitude, learned new and more peaceful, fistless ways of dealing with problems and I was exposed to normative kids from more stable backgrounds. But I was still a bad loser. And the real test was yet to come. I eventually became good enough to play in competitions. In one of the early tournaments I even reached the final. I wanted to win so badly but I didn't. I was full of so much anger and frustration that the old Nir erupted and just urged me to beat up my opponent.
I ran to the net… to shake his hand. I remember that moment like it was yesterday. For the first time I had really succeeded in overcoming my anger and controlling my response. It finally dawned on me that there were no short cuts to genuine success. In short, if it were not for the Ashkelon Tennis Centre – the place that became my home, gave me a warm place to stay, taught me the right way – I could now easily be a professional criminal leading a violent gang on the streets… Look at me now. I'm 34, married with a kid, run two businesses in Charleston and working hard to build the life I want.” And with tears in his eyes, he added, “I owe everything to the Tennis Centre… they saved my life!”
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“In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit” Albert Schweitzer
Tributes from Peter with Peter Goldstein and Jackie Gee at Tammy Goldstein’s wedding
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riends
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retaining uninterrupted links of friendship both close at hand and far away. I for one would have followed the trail, however distant, to enjoy time spent together… as we did in many places, but nowhere as memorable as my only trip to Israel.
Brenda Azario Sandy: Brenda Azario has been in a wheelchair since the age of 29, after falling down stairs whilst taking photographs at a wedding. She had three children, spent two years in a Paris hospital and lost her husband, who had a heart attack from the stress. They had had a very successful and famous textile business in Milan but after these tragedies, the business went broke.
came to know her. Peter used to talk to her a lot.
She told me, “Sandra, I didn’t have a choice. Six weeks after my husband died, I was on a plane to Japan.” She worked as a researcher for the Japanese company we were to partner with and that’s how we
How strange that a Japanese company should have provided the reason for our original connection! Courtenay was the epitome of
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In thinking of Peter, I remember the perfect gentleman: thoughtful, kind and courteous, softly spoken, charming and stylish. Those were my first impressions when we met in 1982 and they remain my abiding memory.
‘Englishness’ that Look Inc. of Tokyo was searching for in starting a new ‘traditional’ brand. Together, Sandra, you and Peter showed them how to do it with quintessential understated elegance. So much so that the Keith brand remains a linchpin of their business to this day. Remembering my welcome to your homes in Hampstead, Battersea, Israel and Knokke underlines the willingness you both had to embrace change and renewal in your surroundings whilst
Peter, considerate as ever, had planned it to perfection and ensured that no time was wasted. I owe him so much for truly life-enhancing experiences. I will never forget those trips to Galilee, the Dead Sea, Jeddah and Jerusalem, allowing me glimpses of the unique aura of the Holy Land. Whilst you and Peter were perfect escorts to these sights, he had engaged an expert guide to cover any eventuality. Nothing was left to chance, nothing was too far or too difficult to attempt together. Peter had already been diagnosed with MS some years before, and yet he saw to it that I traveled every inch of the Way of the Cross in Jerusalem, steep and precarious though it was. Some 20 years later I
remember and appreciate Peter’s physical help without which that could not have been accomplished. Knokke presented no such hazards and I took every opportunity I could to visit you there. At home, at the golf club, in the hotel you chose for me, the superb restaurants we visited, every moment was made special and memorable. Perfectionism is said to be a hard taskmaster, but I felt that Peter wanted to make my visit and our time together the best that they could be. Let it be said that no restaurant actually matched the tables you set at home! I was glad to see Peter enjoying life in style, even though by then it entailed whizzing around on his scooter for greater mobility. He cut a dashing figure and I have the photographs to prove it! Your 40th wedding anniversary was a wonderful moment to remember, especially when Peter asked you to dance. I felt honored to be there to celebrate amongst your many friends.
Being in a wheelchair myself since the age of 29, I was aware that Peter valued our many long telephone conversations which bemoaned or laughed at the ups and downs of declining health and mobility. I was glad to offer some hope and experience to help him through another day. He knew I understood. However grave his condition, I do not remember one conversation which did not include mention of his concern for his beloved Sandy and what “all this was doing to her life.” As an eminent doctor once told me, “You cannot be ashamed of that which you cannot help.” Peter was a proud man with much to be proud of, both personally and in business, but the real triumph was surely his stoical courage in adversity.
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Dr. Sam Peltz
Alan Lyons Peter’s Brother-in-Law I was demobbed from the RAF in 1954 and started work as a trainee at Marks and Spencer in Camden Town. That was where I first met Peter, with whom I struck up an immediate friendship. Although he was four years younger than me, we seemed to have many of the same interests, of which the overriding one was our love of jazz. He became my mentor in the store, telling me to look out for tarantulas in the delivery of Fyffes bananas and to watch out for drunks trying to run off with the stock from the front counters.
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During our lunch breaks we used to rush over to Studio 51 in Old Compton Street on my Vespa to listen to the coolest bands of the time in a crowded, smoke-filled basement. If returning late, as often we did, we were able to get into the store without being noticed as Peter always knew the best way to avoid detection. As my boarding school education and subsequent National Service had isolated me from the NW London Jewish community, Peter introduced me to his friends and invited
me to join him in some of his entertaining and sometimes dubious escapades. Peter’s parents used to hold open house on Sunday afternoons to which he soon invited me. I visited the house many times and soon became aware of Angela, who was just 14 at the time. I eventually started dating her and asked Peter to be best man together with my brother at our wedding. Peter was not just a brother-in-law but a true brother to me.
I knew Peter Collins for many years, both through his marriage to Sandra Goldser and through his membership and attendance at the Central Synagogue. But I only knew him as a close friend in later years when he was confined to a wheelchair by his MS and became increasingly dependent. He was a complex individual – sometimes bright and witty and at other times irritable, due to
his increasing frustrations with his physical deterioration. Most of the time I spent with him was in Israel at the Hilton Hotel in Tel Aviv where we spent many hours in the penthouse lounge, chatting and having a drink. He never ceased to be an interesting conversationalist, having had a long period of business success and travelling extensively in his early days.
During their early married life, Peter and Sandy were known as a 'golden couple'. As his illness progressed, both showed enormous courage and capacity to love and their children and grandchildren contributed greatly to their lives. The memory of how he and Sandy behaved during their last years together left nothing but admiration.
Jackie & Michael Gee Even though we did not see each other often for months at a time, Israel, Zionism, humanity and the struggles of the Jewish people kept us thinking together and being united though miles apart… Tennis! What can I say? Tennis was the outlet for his traditional Zionism. It wasn’t so much the game but how he could make a difference in Israel…
Michael wit
h Sandy’s m
other
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Doreen Gainsford I've known Peter since we were both nine years old. What an extraordinary guy he turned out to be! Sandy, your Dad z”l was a natural and devoted lover of Zion. And he instilled his love into you and was proud of the fact. He had an enormous effect on Peter who had so much respect for him. It was you Sandy, who initiated Peter's Zionist path. You did so with your normal, gentle, loving approach and personality and changed his life. He never looked back and, in our last conversation, he said that with all his business achievements, his Zionist history was his greatest.
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We met after the Second World War, at 9 and 10 years old, when our families brought us back to London and by chance to Hampstead Garden Suburb. Many of that group are friends till this day. Each and every one of us who met Peter and stayed friendly with him over so many years is weeping because we have lost our extraordinary friend. What made him so extraordinary was the number of times he changed direction so successfully. I remember, Sandy, when we met again. Peter had his business successes, you had both enjoyed the fast life and had a terrible accident which changed your life direction. We had already emigrated to Israel. You had your beautiful shop and we had dinner in your Suburb
home. We sat in the garden, bringing each other up to date with our lives… I even remember what we ate! As we got into our car when we left, John z”l turned to me and said, “They are such a very beautiful couple, from their faces and right through their bodies.” Then came our secret telephone calls and days in Ashkelon followed by the chance meeting with Ian Froman and his team. He really changed direction in a big way. What Peter did and gave to the children, initially in Ashkelon and then across Israel, is mind blowing. He changed so many lives. And he did so in such a meticulous manner. Long before he used a computer and cell phone, he wrote every tiny detail down,
planned every meeting with every donor to the last detail, set his goals and ticked his list one by one till he reached the goal. So charming to everyone who could refuse him.
Your past years have not been easy. To watch the husband and father you love suffer and crumble is so hard. When you think about how many years he coped with his disease for so long with a smile, it's
you Peter would never have managed to cope.
Sandy. We were in tears as he told us this. I told Alan that he had only met half a Peter and he said, “Even the half is special.”
much we respect the way you stood by him, with him and propped him up. Everyone has so much respect for you. Without
And you guys, it will take a little time, but please remember the wonderful, handsome, witty Peter who cared for and loved so many.
And now he has changed direction again. He has said goodbye to the world we know and gone to the next job. We believe that we are all on loan. We are called in He was so proud of you, when our time Jane and is up. Who Jimmy. A few knows what weeks ago he he is building told us about in the next each and every place. In my one of your imagination, grandchildren I even believe and who is that John and doing what. all his mates, And for him, now including as he put Peter, have it, although Lunch at the Gainsfords in Herzliya. Doreen is sitting next to Sandy Friday night life may not dinner together and take have dished out the best of quite outstanding. And turns in making the chicken health, he had been given you, Sandy, we both have soup. the very best of wife, in you no words to tell you how
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Edna and Peter Goldstein Peter telephoned me early in the late 70s and asked whether we could host an ITC exhibition at our home in Sutton, Surrey. We were happy to oblige and he agreed to come over a few days before to explain the programme and what he “expected”. Edna and I had no idea this would become a major and exciting part of our lives for the next 20 years! In that time we made numerous friends in London, Israel, the US, Canada and other parts of the world. We organised the most unbelievable trips to Israel, and to this very day, friends say it was the “best ever.” None of this would have been possible without the dedication and absolute commitment of Peter. Once
Nanette & Sydney Stolerman The fun, pleasure and joy we all had in Israel and at the Centre can’t be measured, it was quite magical. Peter was at the helm of this wonderful project and was always meticulous in his organization and wouldn’t let anything or anyone get in his way. He knew he had to succeed and he did… He was always encouraging to his loyal band of helpers and would get far more out of us than we thought we had.
he had an idea, nothing would stop him and the bigger the challenge the more determined he became.
Sandy: When I received the following note from Dominique, I was extremely moved. His mother abandoned him when he was six and he had a difficult relationship with his father. Both Peter and I had a wonderful relationship with this talented and sensitive man. Peter was the father he wished he could have had… My Dearest Sandy, I was very touched by your phone call last week. In a certain way I felt very blessed that you were thinking of me. Immediately I left the office and went for a long walk on the beach.
Sandy, Peter and family became our very close friends. We miss him but his legacy and the contribution he made will be remembered forever. He touched the lives of many.
And I said, “Thank you. Thank you for giving me Peter for a period in my life.” He gave me the most important feeling one human being can give another. With Dick Savitt (standing behind us), Lester Rosenberg and Nanette Stolerman
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Dominique Desimple
He believed in me.
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“One day
“My hope
you will fully understand the meaning of inner peace and how it will give you strength and lasting happiness. This is by no means an easy task and many people go through their lives without discovering it. We are all of us so very different. What is relaxing for you, like spending hours in front of the computer, could well be a stressful exercise for someone else. Try very hard not to compare yourself to other people, unless it is to admire and learn from them. Learn to appreciate your own talents and qualities, as they surely are a gift, and accept your limitations. Try to avoid those situations which stress you out. Most of all, know yourself.”
for the future is for there to be peace in the world and especially in Israel. For all people suffering without food or shelter to be safe and cared for. And that our family live long and healthy lives as decent people, always sensitive and generous to those less fortunate.
Grandma
Grandpa
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If you tell your grandchildren one thing about me, I’d like it to be this: “He was an ordinary man who was conscious of his responsibilities to his family, to Israel and to the Jewish people. His wife Sandy was the love of his life. Devoted to each other, sharing in the challenges and the blessings that were their lot.”
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“Seldom, very seldom does complete truth belong to any human disclosure. Seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised or a little mistaken.�
Jane Austen
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