Harvey Simons, Front of House

I am Harvey Simons and have been volunteering as Front of House at Willesden since 2019, or just before Covid.

My interest in Willesden began in about 2012 when I became a magistrate at Willesden Magistrate’s Court, just around the corner from the cemetery. Given the inefficiencies of the Court system, there was plenty of down time when there were gaps of a couple of hours between hearings. Since Harlesden is not the most inviting area in which to take a stroll, one day I thought of visiting the cemetery where my grandparents are buried. Their graves are at the far end of the cemetery and as I walked towards them, I was struck by the wealth of history behind the stones that I passed. I felt that the history of Anglo- Jewry was laid out beneath my feet and I was intrigued to find out more. My visits to the cemetery increased and each time, I found more names from the roll call of famous, or not so famous who marked the progress of the Jews in England over the past 150 years.

I retired from being a magistrate in 2017 and stopped visiting Willesden, but when I read about the House of Life project in the JC I jumped at the opportunity to volunteer. What I like best about Front of House is the opportunity to meet and interact with visitors, many of whom are only too happy to open up with their stories and those of their departed relatives. I know that on a cold and wet February morning we may not get many visitors, but I use the quiet time to browse through the books in library, which caters for a wide range of Jewish interests. 

My family background is that I am third generation British on my father’s side and second generation on my mother’s. My paternal great grandfather was born in Russia and came to England in about 1880 and my grandfather Bernard Simons was born in London in 1886. He, together with my grandmother Telsey are buried at Willesden, section EX.

My maternal grandfather was born in a shtetl somewhere in Ukraine. He was conscripted into the Russian army, but deserted because of the anti-semitism that he endured and fled across Europe to try to get to America. However, he landed up in Dundee in 1900 and eventually settled in Llandudno as the local minister, schochet and hotel owner. My mother was born in Llandudno in 1914.

I was born and raised in Kenton. I remember going to Shul in the hut in Ben Davis’ back garden before the current Shul was built in 1958. I have since lived in Sheffield, Coventry, Grimsby, Arad (where I met my wife Annick in1972), Ramat Gan and Ruislip before settling in Pinner 1977. We have two daughters, Natalie who lives in Shenley with her husband Steven and children Yasmine and Zac, and Melanie who lives in Pinner with husband Graeme and children Oliver, Tommy and Charlotte.

I finally retired from a 45 year career in the reinsurance industry in the City of London in 2020, and my hobbies are football (a lifelong Brentford supporter), golf, history, politics and of course, my family.