Former pupils and family members have paid tribute to Manchester headteacher Phaivish Pink by having a Torah scroll written for him.

Mr Pink, 65, headed the strictly-Orthodox Mesivta secondary school for 34 years but retired from the post last year. He is also responsible for a national teacher-training scheme for Jewish studies teachers, which he began in 1985. Now a full-time training consultant, his Torah Teachers Training Scheme has expanded to America, Israel, Australia and Gibraltar.

The scroll, completed and presented on Sunday, was donated by former pupils and Mr Pink’s six children. It will go on tour around the UK, where it will be used in synagogues in Leeds, Manchester, Leicester and Birmingham, communities with which the Pink family have connections. It will then be used in America and South Africa.
Mr Pink said the scroll was equally dedicated to his wife Chana “for her work with me at the school, but also offering social work and a home away from home for students from both inside and outside Manchester.”