the former

Newbury Park Synagogue

Newbury Park, Ilford, Essex

JCR-UK is a genealogical and historical website covering all Jewish communities and
congregations throughout the British Isles and Gibraltar, both past and present.

The former Newbury Park Synagogue
(courtesy Jeff Rosen)

Congregation Data

Name:

Newbury Park Synagogue

Address:

23 Wessex Close (off Suffolk Road), Newbury Park, Ilford, Essex IL3 8JU.⁽ⁱⁱ⁾
The synagogue was opened by Sir Isaac Wolfson and consecrated by Chief Rabbi Dr. Immanuel Jakobovits on 1 April 1973.⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾

Formation:

1968.^(iv)

Final Status:

Merged with Clayhall Synagogue on 1 January 2015 to form Redbridge United Synagogue.^(v)

Ritual:

Ashkenazi Orthodox

Affiliation:

It joined the United Synagogue as an affiliated synagogue in 1968.^(viii) In about 1973, it become a district synagogue and in about 1976, it became a constituent synagogue, when the district synagogue category was discontinued.^(ix)

Ministers:
(To view a short profile of a minister - hold the cursor over his name.)

Rev. Michael Goldman, BA - from about 1969 until about 1973^(xii)

Rev. G. Schneider, BA - from about 1973 until about 1982^(xiii)

Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Sufrin - from 1982 until about 1989^(xiv)

Rabbi Gavin Broder - from 1990 until 1996^(xv)

Rev. Stewart Myers - from about 1997 until December 1999^(xvi)

Rev. Gary Newman - from about 2000 until the 2015 merger (and then served as a rabbi of Redbridge Synagogue)^(xvii)

Membership Data:

United Synagogue (male seat-holders)^(xx)

1968

1970

129

217

National Reports & Surveys^(xxi)

1977 - 470 male (or household) members and 31 female members

1983 - 450 male (or household) members and 70 female members

1990 - 601 members (comprising 540 households, 59 individual male and 2 individual female members)

1996 - 543 members (comprising 460 households, 60 individual male and 23 individual female members)

2010 - listed as having 400 to 499 members (by household)

Charitable Status:

As a constituent of the United Synagogue, the congregation operated within that organisation's registered charity status (registered charity no. 242552).

Local Government District:

The suburb of Ilford in Northeast London is within the London Borough of Redbridge, an outer London borough created on 1 April 1965, within the administrative area of Greater London.

Prior to 1965, Ilford was in the former Municipal Borough of Ilford (which was an urban district until 1926) in the county of Essex.

Registration District (BMD):

Redbridge from 1 April 1965^(xxii) - Link to Register Office website

Worship Registration:

The synagogue in 23 Wessex Close was registered as a Place of Worship - Worship Register Number 73437 - under the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855.^(xxiii)

Cemetery
Information:

For United Synagogue cemeteries, see Cemeteries of the United Synagogue.

Notes & Sources (↵ returns to text above)

(i) Reserved.

(ii) This was the address for the congregation listed in Jewish Year Books 1974 through 2015. ↵

(iii) Plaque displayed at the synagogue. Photograph exbihited on this page. ↵

(iv) Date of joining the United Synagogue. The congregation was first listed in Jewish Year Book 1970. ↵

(v) The Jewish Chronicle of 6 November 2014 reported on the proposed merger and the website of Cranbrook United Synagogue, last accessed August 2025, confirmed the date. ↵

(vi) and (vii) Reserved.

(viii) The United Synagogue 1870-1970 by Aubrey Newman (1977), page 222. ↵

(ix) The congregation was first listed in Jewish Year Books as a district synagogue in 1974 and as a constituent synagogue in 1977. ↵

(ix) and (xi) Reserved.

(xii) Based upon Rev. M. Goldman, BA's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1970 through 1973. ↵

(xiii) Based upon Rev. G. Schneider, BA's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1974 through 1982. ↵

(xiv) Based upon Rabbi E.E. Sufrin's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1983 through 1989. ↵

(xv) Rabbi G. Broder was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1991 through 1996. ↵

(xvi) Rev. S. Myers, BA was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1998 through 2000. ↵

(xvii) Jewish Chronicle report of 6 November 2014 reported that Rev. Newman, the present minister of Newbury Park, would be retained as a minister by the Redbridge synagogue following the merger. Rev. G. Newman was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 2001 through 2015 (the final edition). ↵

(xviii) and (xix) Reserved.

(xx) The United Synagogue 1870-1970 by Aubrey Newman (1977), page 220. ↵

(xxi) Reports on synagogue membership in the United Kingdom, published by or on behalf of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and which can be viewed on the website of the Institute of Jewish Policy Research. Click HERE for links to the various reports. ↵

(xxii) The former Registration Districts were: Romford, from 1 July 1837 until 1 July 1939; and Ilford, from 1 July 1939 until 1 April 1965. All registers would now be held by the current register office. ↵

(xxiii) Pages 1154 of the 2010 List of Places of Worship. ↵

Bibliography, Online Articles and Other Material
relating to this Congregation

on JCR-UK

Photographs of the former synagogue, provided by Bernard Chaplin:

List of United Synagogue Congregations

Jewish Congregations in the London Borough of Redbridge

Jewish Congregations in Greater London

Greater London home page

Page created: 16 November 2006
Data significantly expanded and notes first added: 25 August 2025
Page most recently amended: 25 September 2025

Research and formatting by David Shulman

Explanation of Terms | About JCR-UK | JCR-UK home page

Contact JCR-UK Webmaster:
jcr-ukwebmaster@jgsgb.org.uk
(Note: This is to contact JCR-UK, not the above Congregation)

Terms and Conditions, Licenses and Restrictions for the use of this website:

This website is owned by JewishGen and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. All material found herein is owned by or licensed to us. You may view, download, and print material from this site only for your own personal use. You may not post material from this site on another website without our consent. You may not transmit or distribute material from this website to others. You may not use this website or information found at this site for any commercial purpose.