Marjorie Glick was born on April 5th 1932 in South Shields, located on the glorious North East coast of Britain.
As a child, Marjorie and her sisters Ralia and Cynthia would be sent for a brisk walk on the beach close to their home of Rose Villa if they showed any signs of illness.
Her father Emanuel Saville founded a music store – Saville Bros., after having sold sheet music on a barrow. He brought his family to the U.K. from Skuodas, Lithuania.
During World War II, in order to protect his family from the bombing of the ship-building docks in North Shields, he rented a home in the rural town of Esh Winning in County Durham, where they spent the war years. Sadly, in 1948, he died of a heart attack.
Marjorie won a scholarship to read Renaissance History at Royal Holloway College, University of London. One of her teachers was the famous Professor Sir Ernst Gombrich and she lived for three months in Florence, Italy, as part of her studies.
Marjorie met her husband Dr. Eric Glick and they made a striking couple – she had flaming red hair, blue eyes and pale skin; he had jet black hair, deep brown eyes and dark skin. They were both known for their beautiful smiles, intellectual curiosity and love of culture and traveling. They married in 1961 and set up home in Southgate, North London.
They had a very happy marriage and their daughter, Emma, was born in 1965. Dr. Glick was a consultant of Rheumatology and Physical Medicine at the North London Group of hospitals. He had a private practice in Harley Street and later at the family home, run ably by Marjorie. They loved to travel and, accompanied by Emma, were in Kobe, Japan, in 1973 when the Yom Kippur War broke out.
They were staunch Zionists and active members of the Cockfosters and North Southgate United Synagogue.
In the 1970s a local museum, Broomfield House, arranged an exhibition: "Jewish Way of Life" and Marjorie arranged a lecture series. Continuing her interest in history, she joined the Edmonton Hundred Historical Society and formed an offshoot of this – the Jewish Research Group. Together with other local historians, they published several volumes of Heritage about Jewish History.
Marjorie gave an annual lecture at their Chanukah party. As the years passed, the subjects ranged from "The Jews of India" to "Sara Coppio Sullam" and "Louis Namier". Her talks were fascinating and she was asked to speak to other groups, such as Emunah, Bnai Brith, etc.
In 1990, Eric tragically died (age 62) of mesothelioma – he had been exposed to asbestos in the 1950s as an eager young doctor, as he ran from one side of the big teaching hospitals to another, through underground tunnels lined with asbestos.
Marjorie was devastated but, the indomitable woman that she was, it did not define her. Every year for many years, she arranged a memorial lecture at a local hospital. She continued to lecture and travel, sometimes with cultural groups such as the Jewish Historical Seminars.
In 1985, their daughter Emma married Richard Rinberg and soon after, grandchildren began to arrive. After Emma and Richard made aliyah in 1996, Marjorie joined them in 1997 and settled in Netanya. She was a dedicated grandma to her four grandchildren.
There she made friends with many of Eric's old Bnei Akiva Chevra. She was an active member of the YINN shul. She continued to travel and lecture. She loved Rav Kook and often went on their outings. She also discovered the fun of international cruises, enjoying the Arctic, Antarctica and Costa Rica, among many other exotic destinations. She was an enthusiastic member of the Poetry Please group, often submitting poetry in Latin, Italian and even Yiddish. She also taught English to Ethiopian students at a Netanya high school. The students loved the books she brought to help with their reading, as books from the U.K. are often multicultural and they appreciated seeing children with whom they could identify in the illustrations.
In 2012 she relocated to Raanana, in order to be closer to her family. She made friends. She loved the cinema – leading to one particular recommendation to her daughter, "Emma, you must see this film, it is in Polish but don't worry, the subtitles are in French".
She continued to lecture, she loved the lunchtime concerts at the Open University and the concerts and lectures of Orit Wolf in Tel Aviv. She had a wonderful social life and was a beloved teacher of 6th graders in Dekel School. Every year she travelled to the North East of England to visit her sister and, in later years Emma accompanied her.
In July 2019, she suffered a life-changing stroke. She bore her disabilities with grace and equanimity. In the early months she was able to go out, for coffee and to Matan, but after Corona she was largely confined to her apartment. She loved Zoom lectures – from Matan, ESRA, AACI and Jewish Historial Seminars. She attended family events which took place close by home. Ably cared for by her wonderful carer, Rhys, she always looked smart.
She adored her family – nothing made her happier than a visit from her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Two years after her first stroke, she suffered a second stroke at home. As per her wish, she remained at home, surrounded and cared for by her family – she was peaceful and pain-free as she returned her neshama to Hashem on 5 Av – July 14th 2021.
Marjorie Glick believed that people were fundamentally good and nice and she radiated that through her glorious smile.
She will be missed by all those who came into contact with her, especially of course by her daughter, Emma.
Rest in Peace.