North-London butcher Menachem Haziza has taken on a new project — with no knowledge of meat required.

The 56-year-old owner of Menachems, in Golders Green, has used his savings to build a synagogue in Beit She’an in Israel, in memory of his parents, Aliza and Yosef.

Recently completed, the synagogue, Hadrat Yosef, comprises a 100-seat air-conditioned shul with five classrooms in the basement. “It is a wonderful building that is used every day of the week for prayers and learning, and is a fitting tribute to the memory of my parents,” Mr Haziza tells People.

Born in Morocco, he emigrated to Israel when he was still an infant and came to England when he was 20.

He learned his trade at Frohwein before starting his own business in 1989. “My father died when I was nine, but he was a very big influence on me. My mother then raised me and my five brothers and sisters,” he says.

“They gave every-thing to us. This is my way of saying thank you to them.”