Great Synagogue of London
Great Synagogue of London | |
---|---|
Moses Hart (1722) (1790) | |
Date established | c. 1690 |
Completed | 1722; 1790; and 1852 |
Destroyed | 11 May 1941 |
The Great Synagogue of London was a former
History
The earliest Ashkenazi synagogue constructed in London, after the return of Jews to England in the 17th century, was built about 1690 at Duke's Place, north of Aldgate, in the City of London. In 1696–7, the synagogue also acquired a burial ground, at
The congregation grew, and in 1722 a new building was erected with the cost of £2,000 (equivalent to £400,000 in 2023) being borne by businessman and philanthropist
Between 1788 and 1790, the third synagogue was built on the site. Unusually for the time, the principal donor was a woman, Judith Levy, a daughter of Moses Hart, who subscribed £4,000 (equivalent to £640,000 in 2023).[4] The architect was James Spiller. The building was in the classical style identified with John Adam. It was redecorated and repaired in 1832 and 1852 by John Walen, and restored again with small renovations in 1899 and 1930.[5]
The Royal Dukes of Cambridge, Cumberland, and Sussex, sons of
The synagogue was destroyed during the night of 10-11 May 1941, during one of the last major attacks of the Blitz.[8] A plaque commemorating the synagogue is placed on Duke's Place.[9]
Leadership
Rabbis
The following individuals have served as rabbi of the Great Synagogue:[10]
Ordinal Officeholder Term start Term end Time in office Notes 1 Judah Loeb Cohen 1696 1700 3–4 years − Aaron the Scribe of Dublin 1700 c. 1704 3–4 years Acting rabbi 2 Aaron Hart c. 1704 1756 51–52 years 3 Hart Lyon1758 1764 5–6 years 4 David Tevele Schiff 1765 1792 26–27 years − Moses Myers 1792 1802 9–10 years Acting rabbi 5 Solomon Hirschell 1802 1842 39–40 years 6 Nathan Marcus Adler 1845 1890 44–45 years 7 Hermann Adler 1891 1911 19–20 years 8 Joseph Hertz 1913 1946 32–33 years
Cantors
From his arrival in England until his death in 1880 the Anglo-Jewish composer of synagogue music Julius Mombach was associated with the Great Synagogue. He arrived in 1827 as meshorrer (choirboy) and eventually became the Synagogue's choir master.
In art
In 1819 an
See also
- History of the Jews in England
- List of former synagogues in the United Kingdom
- List of demolished buildings and structures in London
References
- ^ Roth (1950), p.11–18
- ^ Roth (1950), p.50–51
- ^ Roth (1950), p.131
- ^ Roth (1950), p.163-6
- ^ Krinsky (1996), pp. 415ff.; Kadish (1996), Chapter 4, by Clarence Epstein, The Architecture of the Great Synagogue, Duke's Place
- ^ Wischnitzer, p.169.
- ^ cited in Roth (1950), p.170
- ^ "The former Great Synagogue". Jewish Communities & Records U.K. JewishGen. 2003. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ "Great Synagogue, Dukes Place".
- ^ Roth (1950), p.301–2
- ^ Conway (2012), p.76
- ^ Krinsky, (1996), p.417
Bibliography
- Conway, David (2012). Jewry in Music: Entry to the Profession from the Enlightenment to Richard Wagner. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1107-01538-8.
- Kadish, Sharman (1996). Building Jerusalem, Jewish Architecture in Britain. London: Valentine Mitchell.
- Krinsky, Carol H. (1985). Synagogues of Europe; Architecture, History, Meaning (revised (1986); Dover reprint, 1996 ed.). MIT Press.
- Roth, Cecil (1950). The Great Synagogue London 1690–1940. London.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Wischnitzer, Rachel (1964). The Architecture of the European Synagogue. Jewish Publication Society of America.
External links
- "The Great Synagogue". Jewish Communities and Records – UK. jewishgen.org.
- "Great Synagogue Records". SynagogueScribes One Stop gateway to Anglo Jewish Records - UK.