George – he was always ‘George,’ that is unless he was ‘The Count,’ – was born in 1935 in Szalkszentmarton, a small town on the Danube, south of Budapest. His mother and sisters were murdered by the Nazis and he survived, to be brought to London on a converted Dakota by Dr Solomon Schonfeld, Executive Director of the Chief Rabbi’s Religious Emergency Council. He studied at Gateshead and served as Chazan at Bayswater Synagogue before joining New London Synagogue where he served, not quite from our creation, but nonetheless from 1964 -2000. He was a formidable and inspiring leader of prayer services and dear colleague to Rabbi Louis Jacobs, of blessed memory. He was elegant, humorous – at times, playful and charming. But always a little apart – the scars of his youth were covered up rather than either bared or healed.
George was a deeply private man, never discussed his early life, never made great play of his magnificent voice or command of the Nusach and liturgical traditions of our faith. But what a Chazan, he could pivot in a moment between earth shaking splendour and the still small voice, and, even without any knowledge of Hebrew, I always felt – as a child creeping into the services – I could understand what he was saying. His Hebrew was immaculate and despite the Ashkenaz/Yiddish style of his youth, always shared from the Bimah at New London with modern Ivrit pronunciation. Like Louis, George was deeply committed to modern Ivrit pronunciation.
In recent times I was in touch to discuss the Memorial Service for Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, at which he co-officiated. How was it, I asked, with the four Beatles and so many other luminaries of the swinging sixties in attendance. He paused before remarking, “they wore very silly clothes.” He was always immaculately turned out, a true Hungarian gent – he was known, especially by those who were children in the time of his cantorial pomp, as the Count.
On his last trip to New London, for the inauguration of the Cyril Korn Windows, it was a privilege to watch so many rise to greet him with the fondness and respect that he deserved. He was a true servant of New London, a true Mentsch and a great, sweet singer in Israel.
To hear George Rothschild singing during Kol Nidre, click here.
To hear George Rothschild singing Haftarah blessing, click here.
To read the eulogy delivered by David Prager at George’s funeral, click here.
George Rothschild died on 26th March 2026, may his memory be for a blessing.
Rabbi Jeremy, George Rothschild and David Djemal at the inauguration of the Cyril Korn Windows, April 2023