Decades of service for the community
Rapaport, who previously served as President of the Greater Manchester Jewish Representative Council (JRC), is considered one of the most influential and respected figures in the North of England. During his decades of public activity, he became known as someone who combined leadership power with high personal integrity. Beyond his official duties, Rapaport served as a long-time trustee of the Reform Synagogue in Manchester, where he worked to preserve tradition while adapting the community to the modern age.
“The Israeli Voice” in the north of England
For many, Rapaport was identified first and foremost as a fighter for the image of the State of Israel. He stood at the forefront of Israeli advocacy, worked in close coordination with the Israeli Embassy and the Jewish Agency, and did not hesitate to stand up against manifestations of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in the British media. For him, the connection between Diaspora Judaism and the Zionist enterprise was an uncompromising moral mission.
A legacy of action
Louis Rapaport left behind his wife Shirley and a grieving community that sees him as a model of leadership and Zionism. His funeral will be held in Manchester, the city where he made his mark and where his memory will be immortalized as one of the most prominent leaders of British Jewry in the last generation.