the granddaughter of one of Leeds most memorable Wizo stalwarts, Joyce Frazer, who died in August 2015, is hoping to start a new Wizo group in her memory. The group, to be called the Blanche Dugdale Aviv, is the brainchild of Mrs Frazer's granddaughter, Nicola Smaje Rosenbloom, who is hoping to get the group up and running by the middle of the month.
The original group folded in 2013 after 65 years' service.
Mrs Frazer had been associated with Anglo-Israel charity work since she and her husband Sydney married in 1948, and colleagues, friends and family think that if a new group is to be formed it is only fitting it should be in memory of her.
Born in Leeds in 1925, Mrs Frazer became greatly affected by the suffering of Jews in Europe, and was deeply committed to the Zionist cause. She was a founder member of a number of Leeds women's Zionist groups, participating at national and international level, work that was recognised by many lifetime achievement awards.
Her son Tim described her as an early feminist "by deed if not by creed" with a powerful intellect "which she was not ashamed to use in every aspect of her life".
Joining the original Leeds Blanche Dugdale Wizo she did everything from being "bun-maker, kitchen-hand, secretary, and chairperson. The group became known as the "stork club" because its many young married members with babies meant "there were so many nappies in evidence at its meetings". It generated a group of dedicated Leeds Zionists.
Mrs Frazer had a passion for the European Council of Wizo Federations, a non-fundraising arm of Wizo, it aims to promote gender equality, human rights and the status of women.