An elderly man who often worried no-one would go to his grave has had his life celebrated with an outstanding show of respect and a glimpse into his past.
Solomon Helfer z'l, a client at The Fed, had been cared for by the Prestwich social care charity for more than six years and often shared his worries about not having a minyan at his grave to say Kaddish.
Sol, who served in the Israeli army has been described as being a unique and eccentric character who had a big heart.
Despite his shining character, Sol died aged 88 with no other living family members and worried about not having a minyan at his grave to say Kaddish.
Following his death, it became clear that this was a worry Sol never needed to have as his well-attended service included a minyan, Rabbi Walker and staff, who cared for Sol.
Gathering to remember and say Kaddish, attendees at Sol's funeral confirmed he always looked after as many as he could and that he left a good impact upon the world.
The Fed's community support and advice team manager Sara Ogden-Thomson read a eulogy at the service.
She said: "We are here to celebrate the life of Mr. Solomon Helfer.
“I remember Sol saying that no-one would come to his funeral, that they wouldn’t even be able to raise a Minyan, so thank you to everyone for being here today for his unveiling.
“It would make Sol very happy to see this group gathered around, just for him.
“The Fed, first meet Sol in 2012, when he was living outside of the community.
"We assisted him to return to the community and receive all the support that he required- a task that wasn’t without its challenges.
“Sol was very proud to be Jewish, to have served in the Israeli army, his religion was always very important to him.
“If I was to describe Sol, I would have to say that he was a unique, eccentric with a big heart.
"He always loved to shock and test boundaries with anyone who visited him. Every week, I would receive a marriage proposal from him, offered with a cheeky smile.
“Sol was a very caring and honourable man, he always cared about others.
"After his time with the Israeli army, he returned to the UK to become a psychiatric nurse at the former Springfield Hospital in Manchester.
“He always had lots of funny tales and tall stories to share, following his years of working within mental health.
"Sol worked until he reached retirement age and then sadly his health issues really took hold.
“He lived a very simple life and kept money for ‘important things’.
"Upon his death, it was very important to him, that he made arrangements for his mother and brother’s graves to be cared for.
“He also wanted to know that he had looked after as many as he could and that he left a good impact upon the world.
“Sol, you should be very proud – you did just that. May your dear soul RIP."
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