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Page created: 6 August 2007
Latest revision or update: 24 February 2015
Congregation Data
Name: |
Kalischer Synagogue |
Alternative Names: |
United Kalischer (or
Kalisher) Synagogue or Kalischer
Chevra. |
Name Origin: |
The congregation took its
name from the home town of its founders, Kalisz (also spelled Kalisch),
on the Prosna river in west-central Poland, close to the pre-WWII border
with Germany. |
When Founded: |
Although according to
Geoffrey Alderman (in his "The Federation of Synagogues 1887-1987", p.20),
the congregation was founded sometime between 1881 and 1887, it would
appear to have somewhat earlier origins, and was in all probability the successor to
the Kalischer Chevra of Steward Street. The
following report appeared in the Jewish Chronicle of 12 September
1873:
"A new synagogue was consecrated in Steward Street, Spitalfields on
Sunday afternoon last. About three years ago several gentleman, natives
of the town of Kalisch in Poland, and residents in London, formed
themselves into a society, called the Kalischer Chebra, principally with
the object of affording monetary and other assistance to poor Jews from
their native town. The society is flourishing; and some little time ago
the members resolved to obtain a synagogue of their own. With this
object a warehouse in Steward Street was purchased, and plainly but
neatly converted into a synagogue by George Lewis of Sandy's Row."
According to the Jewish Chronicle
of 14 December 1894, p. 14 (cited by Daniel Appeby in
"Service and Scandal: the life and times of an immigrant Jewish
Clergyman" p.90. 2013), the congregation had been in existance
since 1863. |
Address: |
St. Mark's Street, London
E1.
Previously the
congregation would appear to have been at Steward Street, Whitechapel, London E1
(see above) (Location: St.
Mark's Street, in London's East End, is now known as St. Mark Street. The northern 150 feet
stretch of the street was previously known as Alie Place. It runs south 700 feet
from (Great) Alie Street (about 300 feet south of Whitechapel High
Street) to Prescott Street (formerly Great Prescott
Street), parallel with Mansell Street (to the west) and Leman Street (to
the east). Steward Street,
situated in Spitalfields (some half mile to the north of St. Mark Street),
runs north from Artillery Lane (the part which was formerly Artillery
Street), parallel with Bishopsgate to the west. It now extends for about
600 feet to Spital Square, although it was previously shorter ending
some 200 feet south of Spital Square.) |
Status & Merger: |
The congregation merged
in 1895 with Windsor Street Chevra to form the Great Ali Street Synagogue.
("Service and Scandal: the life and times of an immigrant Jewish Clergyman"
by Daniel Appleby, p.90. 2013).
After the merger, it would appear that the
merged congregation at times continued to be known as the Kalischer
Synagogue, as evidenced by an obituary
for Rabbi Israel Dainow, that appeared in the Jewish Chronicle of 17 March
1922. This states that Rabbi Dainow arrived in London in 1877,
and after duties as a maggid, he was appointed Rav. of the Kalischer
Synagogue, which position he held for 35 years. Also, according to Ron Altshul, a great-grandson of Rabbi Dainow, the ketubah of Rabbi
Dainow's daughter, Raysa, on her marriage to Rav. Morris Altshul, states
that the marriage was performed at the Kalischer Synagogue in 1898. |
Ritual: |
Orthodox - Ashkenazi |
Affiliation: |
One of the congregations
(as "Kalischer Chevra" per Geoffrey Alderman's "The Federation of
Synagogues 1887-1987") that attended the meeting of 16 October 1887 to form the Federation of
Synagogues, and became one of the original federated synagogues (as
United Kalisher synagogue, per V.D. Lipman's Social History of the
Jews in England 1850-1950) on
6 November 1887. |
Local Government
Districts: |
St Mark
Street and Steward Street are now in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets,
created on 1 April 1965, within the administrative area of Greater London. Previously,
both streets were in the Metropolitan Borough of
Stepney (established 1900) in the County of London
(established 1889), both of which entities were abolished in 1965.
St Mark's Street was also within the civil parish of Whitechapel
and Steward Street was within the historic Liberty of the Old Artillery Ground,
both of which entities were in the former County of Middlesex until 1889
and both of which, from 1856 to 1900, were constituents of the
Whitechapel District.
In 1921, the Liberty of the Old Artillery Ground was
absorbed into the civil parish of Whitechapel, which was itself abolished in 1927, being absorbed into Stepney Borough parish (until that parish's
abolition in 1965). |
Registration Districts: |
From 1 July 1837 - Whitechapel
From
1 January 1926 - Stepney
Since
1 January 1983 - Tower Hamlets (which now holds the registers) |
Other Congregation Information
Street Directory of Synagogues in East End
and City of London
Jewish Congregations of the London East End
Greater London home page
List of
Federation
of Synagogues Congregations
Explanation of Terms Used
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