the former

Hull Central Synagogue

Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire

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The former Central Synagogue, Cogan Street, Hull

Congregation Data

Name:

Central Synagogue, Hull (or Hull Central Synagogue)

Formation:

The congregation was founded in 1886.⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾

Last Address:

Cogan House, Park Street, Hull, from about 1951.^(iv)

The building was previously the Alderman Cogan School, situated opposite the then Hull Children's Hospital.^(v)

Previous Addresses:

School Street, Hull

The congregation's first synagogue was at School Street, off Waltham Street, Hull, from 1886 until 1914.^(vi)

Cogan Street, Hull

In 1914, the congregation moved to Cogan Street, Hull, to a building that was formerly the Salem Congregation Chapel.^(ix) In 1940, the building was destroyed in a German air raid.

West Parade, Anlaby Street, Hull

Following the destruction of the congregation's synagogue, the congregation moved in 1940^(x) to a large house used as a temporary synagogue, used possibly until 1951, although, from at least 1946, the congregation held services in the Linnaeus Street schoolroom by permission of the Western Synagogue.^(xi)

Final Status:

Closed in about 1976.^(xii)

Ritual:

Ashkenazi Orthodox

Affiliation:

Congregation was unaffiliated but under the aegis of the Chief Rabbi.

Ministers and Readers:
(To view a short profile of a minister or reader whose name appears in blue - hold the cursor over the name.)

Rev. Bernard Ginzburg - reader from 1887 until about 1890.^(xvii)

Rev. Simon Chassim - reader from 1898 until about 1901.^(xviii)

Rev. Leopold Wolf Klein - reader from about 1901 until 1905.^(xix)

Rev. S.H. Lipschitz - reader in and about 1905.^(xx)

Rev. Isaac Levine - reader from 1907 until 1923.^(xxi)

Rev. H. Bergin - reader from about 1923 until about World War II.^(xxiv)

Rev. Harry Abrahams - reader from about 1951 until about 1954.^(xxv)

Rev. R. Berg - reader from about 1955 until about 1957.^(xxvi)

(Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Rabinowitz, BA served as Communal Rabbi of Hull from 1956 until 1959, although the extent of his involvement with this congregation is uncertain.)

Lay Officers (from 1900):^(xxix)

Presidents

1900-1901 - Jacob Marks^(xxx)

1901-1905 - J. Harris

1905-1907 - S. Berkowitz

1907-1910 - no data

1910-1911 - A. Marks

1912-1924 - Jacob Marks^(xxx)

Hon. Presidents^(xxxi)

1924-1925 - S. Berkowitz

1925-1931 - W. Miller

1931-1932 - J. Levi

1932-1935 - J. Marks

Presidents

1933-1935 - S. Jaffe

1935-1938 - J. Marks

1938-1939 - J. Silver

1939-1946 - H. Mostyn^(xxxii)

Chairmen

1946-1949 - H. Mostyn

1950-1953 - J. Marks

President

1953-1956 - J. Marks

Vice Presidents

1925-1928 - J. Mostyn, BSc

1928-1931 - D. Rock & S. Barnett

1931-1935 - D. Rock

1935-1938 - S. Jaffe

1938-1947 - no data

Vice Chairmen

1947-1949 - Issy Appleson

1949-1950 - J. Marks

1950-1953 - Maurice Lipman

Vice Presidents

1953-1955 - Maurice Lipman & Issy Appleson

1955-1956 - Maurice Lipman

Treasurers

1900-1902 - S. Berkowitz

1902-1907 - A. Thompson

1907-1915 - no data

1915-1923 - M. Sugarman

1923-1925 - H. Goldstein

1925-1928 - N. Levinson

1928-1945 - no data

1945-1946 - L. Westerman

1946-1949 - M. Taylor

1949-1953 - Issy Appleson

1953-1956 - S. Mostyn

Hon. Secretaries

1900-1901 - H. Dobson

1901-1902 - J. Robins

1902-1905 - H. Simmons

1905-1907 - Lewis Davis

1907-1908 - M.J. Davis

1908-1915 - Lewis Davis

1915-1919 - L. Spectorovski

1919-1920 - S. Klein

1920-1923 - no data

1923-1924 - S. Morris

1924-1925 - J. Marks

1925-1931 - P. Seltzer

1931-1945 - no data

1945-1947 - P. Fisher

1948-1951 - I.M. Hart

1951-1953 - S. Charnah

1953-1955 - W. Abrahams

1955-1957 - M. Cobden

1957-1963 - I.M. Hart

1963-1972 - G. Sugarman

1972-1976 - H. Vinegrad

Membership Data:

Number of Seatholders - Board of Deputies Returns

1890

1900

75

80

Number of Seatholder - as reported by Jewish Year Books

1900

1905

1909

1911

1938

1946

90

75

70

72

120

60

Institutions associated with the Congregation:

Central Synagogue Chevra Kadisha, established by 1925.^(xxxiii) [jyb1926-1936]

Cemetery
Information:

The Congregation used Hull's Ella Street Cemetery, opened in May 1889. For details, see Cemeteries Information on the Hull Jewish Community home page.

Notes & Sources (↵ returns to text above)

(i) and (ii) Reserved.
(iii) 1986 is the date noted in Jewish Year Books. However, The History of Hull's Orthodox Synagogues (2000) by Elliot Oppel ("Oppel's History"), p.21 gives the opening date of the synagogue as 1887. ↵
(iv) Address listed Jewish Year Books from 1952. ↵
(v) Oppel's History, p.22. ↵
(vi) Oppel's History, p.21. This was the address listed for the congregation from the first Jewish Year Book (1896/7) through the 1915 edition. ↵
(vii) and (viii) Reserved.
(ix) Oppel's History, p.21. ↵
(x) Oppel's History, p.21. However, this address was listed in Jewish Year Books only until 1946/7. ↵
(xi) Jewish Year Books, 1947 through 1951. ↵
(xii) Oppel's History, p.20. ↵
(xiii) to (xvi) Reserved.
(xvii) Hull Daily Mail of 6 December 1887, p.3, reported Rev. Ginzburg's appointment. He celebrated one son's barmitzvah at the synagogue in 1889, but a second son's barmitvah in 1891 was celebrated in a London synagogue. ↵
(xviii) Blackburn Hebrew Congregation and its ministers by Hilary Thomas. He was listed, under the name S. Chassin, as reader and shochet of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1900/1 and 1901/2. ↵
(xix) He was listed as reader and shochet of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1902/3 and 1906/7. However, by 1905, he was already serving in Leeds. ↵
(xx) Jewish Chronicle reports of 12 and 26 May 1905. ↵
(xxi) He was listed (generally under the surname Levene) as reader and shochet of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1907/8 and 1923. ↵
(xxii) and (xxiii) Reserved.
(xxiv) Rev. Bergin was listed as reader and shochet of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1924 through 1940 and, following cessation of publication during the war, in the 1945/6 and 1947 editions (although the later listings may have been an error. ↵
(xxv) According to Jolles's Encyclopaedia of Chazanim, etc. (2024 edition), p.225, he retired in 1940, but after four years, stood in again as the Hull (Osborne Road) synagogue had no minister at the time. However, he is listed as reader of the Hull Central Synagogue in Jewish Year Books 1952 through 1954. It is currently unclear whether he actually served both synagogues in the 1940s/1950s. ↵
(xxvi) Based upon Rev. Berg's listing as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1956 and 1957. ↵
(xxvii) and (xxviii) Reserved.
(xxix) Unless otherwise stated, this data has been extracted from Jewish Year Books. Where a person is first listed in a year book as holding a particular office, it has been assumed that his term of office commenced in the year of publication of the relevant year book and that he continued in office until the commencement of office of his successor, unless the office was vacant. Initially year books corresponded to the Hebrew year, and thus ran roughly from autumn of one year - the year of publication - until autumn of the next year. From 1909, year books were published according to the Gregorian year, being published generally towards the end of the year prior to the year appearing in the title of the year book. For example, if an officer is listed in Jewish Year Books 1919 through 1924, it is assumed that he commenced office in 1918 and continued in office until 1924. However, it should be noted that this is only an assumption and, accordingly, his actual years of office may differ somewhat from those shown here. Jewish Year Books were not published during World War II subsequent to 1940 and there were no Jewish Year Book listings of lay officers (other than secretary) subsequent to 1956. Generally, given name have been taken from other sources. ↵
(xxx) Oppel's History, p.21, states that Jacob Marks was the first president of the Cogan Street Synagogue, opened in 1914 and we have accordingly inserted his given name in both the 1900 and 1912 entries. Subsequently, we have just referred to J. Marks, as we are uncertain if it is the same individual. ↵
(xxxi) Jewish Year Books from 1925 through 1935 listed the office of hon. president rather than simply president and in the 1934 and 1935 editions, it listed both. ↵
(xxxii) H. Mostyn was listed as president of the congregation in Jewish Year Books both prior to, and subsequent to, the cessation of publication during World War II and accordingly. it is assumed that he also served in such office during the war. ↵
(xxxiii) Listed separately in Jewish Year Books from 1926 through 1936. It is assumed that thereafter there was a united Chevra Kadisha for all the city's orthodox congregations. ↵

Hull Jewish Community home page

List of Synagogues destroyed by German air raids during World War II

Jewish Congregations in East Riding of Yorkshire

Jewish Communities of England home page

Page created: 2003
Data significantly expanded and notes first added: 9 April 2024
Page most recently amended: 20 December 2024

Research and current formatting by David Shulman

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