On 14th February 2011 Mrs Minnie ‘Valentine’ Solomon celebrated her hundredth birthday. She has been a widow of The Lodge of Dawn for 58 years, her late husband Bro. Henry Solomon having passed away in 1953.
A deputation from the lodge attended Donisthorpe Hall, a home for the elderly based in Alwoodley, to make a presentation. Mrs. Solomon has strong and wide connections with freemasonry in general and The Lodge of Dawn in particular; in addition to her late husband, her brother W Bro Shapiro PPJGW, her late brother-in-law W Bro. Alex Goldberg PPSGD and her nephew W Bro. Russell Graham PPJGW have all been masters of the Lodge of Dawn. In addition, another brother-in-law, a nephew and a great-nephew have all been lodge members. She herself is a Past Master of a ladies lodge.
The picture above shows Mrs.Solomon, with the presentation group, left to right, W Bro. Simon Lester PPSGD, W Bro. Simon Fellerman, W Bro. Geoffrey Caplan (Chairman of Donisthorpe Hall) and W Bro. Stephen Brown (Master of The Lodge of Dawn).
However Mrs.Solomon will always be remembered for her part in the formation of The Grand Lodge of Israel (GLI) in 1953. On the formation of GLI many English and Scottish lodges, as well as individual masons, contributed items to the Grand Lodge temple in Jerusalem. The consecration of the Grand Lodge was attended by W Bro. Louis Wigoder, JP, PAGDC, PPSGW, the first master of The Lodge of Dawn. On his return from Israel he reported that the outstanding gift to GLI was, and he quoted from the plaque adorning the gift, “King Solomon’s chair and pedestal presented by the widow of the revered deceased Brother Henry Solomon”. The chair and pedestal were carved in Scotland and flown over especially for the consecration.
A few years ago W Bro. Maurice Cutler PAGDC, PPSGW, Past Master of the Lodge of Dawn visited GLI and confirmed that the plaque was still in place.