Honored: 1999
Location: London, England
Philanthropist Fred Worms, OBE, succeeded Pierre
Gildesgame as Maccabi World Union (MWU) president
from 1982 to 1986. In 1994, he was elected honorary
president of MWU, the position he continues to
hold at the time of publication of this edition.
Worms served six years as chairman of the European Maccabi Confederation and
represented Great Britain on the MWU Executive Board for many years. He has
also been a member of the MWU International Trust Fund, served in highest level
positions with Maccabi London, and been honorary secretary of Maccabi Union
Great Britain.
Born in Frankfurt, Germany, and arriving in England
in 1937, young Fred Worms was interned briefly
as an “enemy alien.” Following World
War II, as a Chartered Accountant, he became
an entrepreneur in the engineering and
motor car industry.
In 1998, Worms received an OBE (Officer of the
Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) from
Queen Elizabeth, for exceptional efforts as chairman
of
the B’nai B’rith Housing Association of Great Britain, which secured
housing for the elderly.
He is a founder of the Kfar Maccabiah (Maccabiah Village) in Ramat Gan, Israel,
and championed development of the Pierre Gildesgame Sports Museum (MWU sports
history) situated at the Kfar. Worms is also a founding member of the International
Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Executive Board.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually, honoring those individuals
who have made significant contributions to the State of Israel and society
through sports.
Of Blessed Memory