Mildmay Park Synagogue

Mildmay Park Synagogue

39 Mildmay Park, Canonbury, London N1⁽ⁱⁱ⁾

The property, comprising a synagogue with a capacity of 200⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾ and house, was the freehold of the Spanish & Portuguese Congregation, Bevis Marks, for which the congregation paid a nominal rental of £1 per annum.^(iv)

Founded in 1885 or 1886,^(v) largely through the efforts of Salomon Pool, who obtained the appropriate permissions.^(vi)

Closed 1937^(vii)

Orthodox - Sephardi - Portuguese minhag (later referred to as Spanish & Portuguese)^(viii)

The Congregation was associated with the Spanish & Portuguese Congregation of Bevis Marks, though possibly not formally affiliated.^(ix)

The Congregation was the successor congregation to the private Sephardi Andrade Synagogue of Spencer House, 303 Essex Road, Islington.^(xi) This had been built by Solomon Haim Andrade Da Costa in the garden of his house, after he had gained permission from Bevis Marks to construct his own synagogue on account of his being too infirm to walk the long distance to the Bevis Marks Synagogue in the City. The consecration of the synagogue, an impressive ceremony, took place on 17 September 1865.^(xii) Although Andrade died the following year,^(xiii) his widow and family continued to maintain the synagogue for many years.^(xiv)

The congregation numbers continued to grow and outstrip the capacity of the small private synagogue and, after nearly two decades, it was decided to built a replacement synagogue.^(xv) The synagogue closed at the end of May 1884,^(xvi) although it would be at least a year and half before the new Mildmay Park Synagogue, during which period, services were held at the home of Isaac Cazès.

Rev. Judah Henriques Valentine - minister of Andrade Synagogue in and about 1869/1870^(xx)

Rev. Jacob Mendes Chumaceiro^(xxi)

- chazan of Andrade Synagogue from at least 1877 until its 1884 closure, and thereafter at a private home until the opening of the Mildmay Park Synagogue; and

- minister/chazan of Mildmay Park Synagogue from its opening in about 1885 until 1912

Rev. I.P. Mendoza - chazan of Mildmay Park Synagogue from about 1913 until about 1921^(xxii)

Presidents

1901-1908 - M.I. Ricardo

1909-1928 - D. Politi

1928-1930 - I. Henriques

Vice-Presidents

1901-1908 - A. Souhami

1904-1908 - I. Genese

1904-1908 - I. Salzedo

1921-1924 - E.S. Pool

1924-1928 - I. Henriques

Treasurers and Hon. Secretaries

1901-1906 - E.S. Pool

1906-1908 - Samuel A. Romain

1908-1916 - B.N. Nabarro

1916-1926 - D. Bensusan

1926-1927 - J.H. Valentine

1927-1929 - E. Mendoza

1906 - 44 seatholders^(xxvi)

Both Essex Road and Mildmay Park, the addresses where the synagogues were situated, are now within the London Borough of Islington. Formerly (until 1 April 1965) they were in the somewhat smaller former Metropolitan Borough of Islington (established in 1900, conterminous with the pre-existing parish of Islington), within the former County of London (established in 1899). Prior to 1899, the parish of Islington was in the former County of Middlesex.

Islington - Link to Register Office website

Cemetery Information:

No information, but it is assumed that burial would have taken place at one of the cemeteries of the Spanish and Portuguese Congregation.

Notes & Sources (↵ returns to text above)

• (i) Reserved.

• (ii) This address first appears in Jewish Year Books from 1904/05. ↵

• (iii) The Jewish Communities of Islington 1730-1880s, by Petra Laidlaw, p.86. This terraced house, of ordinary domestic design, is still standing and is divided into residential flats. ↵

• (iv) Jewish Year Books from 1901/02. ↵

• (v) The Jewish Year Book 1901/02 (on the first listing of the congregation) gives the year of founding as 1886, whereas the editions from 1914 state it was 1885. ↵

• (vi) Salomon Pool (1823-1895), a cattle trader originally from Rotterdam, was Askanazi by birth, had been admitted to the Sephardi community by marriage to Sarah De Sola (The Jewish Communities of Islington 1730-1880s, by Petra Laidlaw, pp.68 and 87). ↵

• (vii) The Jewish Communities of Islington 1730-1880s, by Petra Laidlaw, p.87. This was also the year of its last appearance in Jewish Year Books. ↵

• (viii) The Jewish Year Book from 1901/02 refers to "Portuguese ritual", whereas from the 1924 edition the term "Spanish & Portuguese" was adopted. ↵

• (ix) The congregation was listed in Jewish Year Books as independent until the 1926 edition and was only thereafter listed under the Spanish and Portuguese Congregation. ↵

• (x) Reserved.

• (xi) The house, which no longer exists, was on a section of the road between Clephane Road and Marquis Road, near the junction with St. Paul's Road. ↵

• (xii) Jewish Chronicle report of 22 September 1865. ↵

• (xiii) Jewish Chronicle report of 2 February 1866. ↵

• (xiv) Jewish Chronicle report of 10 September 1869. ↵

• (xv) Jewish Chronicle report of 21 March 1884. ↵

• (xvi) Jewish Chronicle report of 18 April 1884. ↵

• (xvii) to (xix) Reserved.

• (xx) Jewish Chronicle reports of 10 September 1869 and 14 September 1870. ↵

• (xxi) Jewish Chronicle report of 7 September 1877 and tribute of 3 January 1913. ↵

• (xxii) Based upon I.P. Mendoza's listing as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1914 through 1921. ↵

• (xxiii) and (xiv) Reserved.

• (xxv) The data listed here has been extracted from Jewish Year Books. Where a person is first listed in a year book as holding a particular officer, 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, and were generally published towards the end of the year prior to the year appearing the title of the year book. (For example, if an officer is listed in Jewish Year Books 1920 through 1923, it is assumed that he commenced office in 1919 and continued in office until 1923). However, it should be noted that this is only an assumption and accordingly his actual years of office may differ from those shown here. ↵

• (xxvi) Jewish Year Book 1906/07. ↵