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JCR-UK is a genealogical and historical website covering all Jewish communities and
congregations throughout the British Isles and Gibraltar, both past and present.
NOTE: We are not the official website for this community.
Town of Gateshead
Gateshead, with a population of about 190,000, lies on the
south side of the river Tyne in North East England, across the river from
Newcastle upon Tyne. The metropolitan borough of Gateshead, which had been
formed in 1974, became a unitary authority in 1986 when the metropolitan county
of Tyne and Wear, of which it formed part, was abolished except for ceremonial
purposes. Until 1974, Gateshead (covering an area less than today) was a
county borough and historically part of County Durham.
The Gateshead Jewish Community and Congregations
The earliest Jewish settlement in Gateshead is believed to date from the middle
of the nineteenth century.
The founder of the community is generally considered to be Zaccariah Bernstone,
a glazier, picture-framer and peddler in gas mantles, who was dissatisfied with the Anglicised ritual of Newcastle
and moved to Gateshead in 1881. In 1883, he helped found the first congregation
in the town and did his best there to establish a strictly orthodox community. The Jewish community of Gateshead is unique among provincial
communities in the UK, being almost exclusively ultra-Orthodox and its yeshivot
are considered the principal centres of Jewish learning not just Britain, but
throughout Europe.
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Jewish Congregations
The following are the Jewish congregations that exist or existed in and around Gateshead:
Alternative names or minor congregations:
* An active congregation.
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Gateshead Jewish Cemeteries Information
Although there is no Jewish cemetery in Gateshead, in 1908, the
Gateshead Jewish community was granted burial facilities in a
special Gateshead section of the
Hazelrigg Jewish Cemetery,
Coach Lane, North Gosforth(lxxii)
(see
cemetery plan). The cemetery is still in use. (The
cemetery is situated in the part of Hazelrigg to the
east of the AI and is thus actually within the metropolitan borough
of North Tyneside and not Newcastle upon Tyne.)
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Search
the Hazelrigg Cemetery Database
(a JCR-UK Hosted Database)
The
Hazelrigg Jewish Cemetery Database, which
includes Gateshead Community cemetery sections
of the cemetery, covers burials dating from 1908 through
July 2023.
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(For further details, see
Newcastle Cemetery Information).
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Bibliography, Online Articles and Other Material
relating to the
Gateshead Jewish Community
on JCR-UK
on third parties' websites
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Other Gateshead Jewish Institutions & Organisations
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Educational & Theological
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Talmud Torah - the Hebrew and
Religious Classes, which became the Talmud Torah, were founded shortly following the
establishment of the congregation. However, it saw
a massive reorganisation by Rev. Elkan Gamzu
in about 1914, following his
appointment as headmaster. It was superseded by the
Primary School in the 1950s (see below).(xviii)
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Gateshead Yeshiva - Gateshead Talmudical College, established 1929
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Gateshead Kolel HaRabbonim - the Institute for Higher Rabbinical Studies,
established 1941.
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Sunderland Talmudic College and Yeshiva,
formerly in Sunderland, but moved to Gateshead in 1988.
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Sunderland Kolel
- Institute forHigher Rabbinical Studies,
formerly in Sunderland, but moved to Gateshead by 2003.
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Gateshead Jewish Boarding School for Boys
(also known as the Mechinah L'Yeshiva)
Founded in 1944 upon the initiative of
Rabbi E.E. Dessler.(xxi)
Initially at 36/38 Gladstone Street,
Gateshead,(xxii)
and later (from at least 2009)
at 10 Rydal Street Gateshead, NE8 1HG.(xxiii)
Affiliated to the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations from
at least 1952.(xxiv)
Directors:(xxviii)
Rabbi Dr. Moses Leob Bamberger
- founder, Rav and director from 1944 until 1960;(xxix)
Rabbi Chaim Feldman
- Rav and director from 1960 until about 1963(xxx)
Rabbi Abraham Gruner
- Rav and director from about 1963 until about 19743(xxxi)
Rabbi R. Kohn
- Rav and director from about 1974 until about 19993(xxxii)
Rabbi N. Lieberman - Rav and director
from about 1999 until about 2006(xxxiii)
The school is a registered charity,
number 527371,
registered on 11 December 1963.(xxxiv)
See also Gateshead Jewish Boarding School on the UNEJH website.
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Jewish Teachers' Training College for Girls
(Beth Midrash Lemoroth or the "Old" Seminary)
Founded in 1944.(xxxvii)
Address:
initially at 6 Gladstone Terrace, Gateshead, and later at 50 Bewick Street, Gateshead NE8 4HB(xxxviii)
Principals:
Avrohom D. Kohn,
also the founder, from 1944 until about 1988;(xxxix)
Rabbi Mordechai Miller,
from about 1988 until 2000;(xl)
Rabbi Simcha Kohn,
present principal, from about 2000 to present (July 2024).(xli)
The "Jewish Teachers' Training College" is a registered charity,
number 527404,
registered on 25 January 1965.
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Bais Chaya Rochel (the Gateshead Jewish Academy for Girls or
the "New" Seminary)
Founded in August 1998, formerly Shipcote Lane, Gateshead NE8 4JA, now at 138
Coatsworth Rd, Gateshead, NE8 4LL.(xliv)
Founder and
Principal: Rabbi Avraham Katz.(xlv)
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Gateshead Jewish Primary School
Founded in 1953 primarily for the Jewish pupils at the local secular primary schools,
In 1957 it took over the responsibility of the Talmud Torah.
Initially situated at 5 Richmond Terrace, Gateshead and later moved
to 18 Gladstone Terrace, Gateshead NE8 4EA.(xlvi)
The founder was Rabbi Shaul Wagschal,
who served as the schools first principal.(xlvii)
The school is now a registered private company (limited by guarantee without share capital)
company no: 14998109,
incorporated on 12 July 2023.(xlviii)
See also Jewish Primary School, Gateshead on the UNEJH website.
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Gateshead Jewish High School for Girls
The school, which opened in May 1968 and closed in June 2015, was at 6 Gladstone Terrace, Gateshead NE8 4DY.(li)
The school's principals include
Rabbi Shaul Wagschal;(lii)
Rabbi D. Bowden;(liii)
and
Rabbi E. Lobenstein.(liv)
The school was a registered charity, latest registration
number 1082028,
registered on 15 August 2000 and removed on 23 February 2022.(lv)
The school was also a registered private company (limited by guarantee without share capital),
company no: 14998109,
incorporated on 7 January 2000 and dissolved on
31 December 2019.
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Yeshiva Lezeirim
Opened in about 1984, a preparatory academy (or mechinah) for yeshiva, for boys of aged 15 and 16. Its address was previously at
Cambridge Terrace, Gateshead NE8 1RP, and later moved to 36-38 Gladstone Terrace,
Gateshead NE8 4EF.(lix)
The academy's principals include
Rabbi Ezriel Jaffe(lx)
and Rabbi Jack Moore.(lxi)
Its status is unclear, as according to the
gov.uk/establishment website, the academy closed on 3 July 2018.
However, Yeshivah L'Zeirim remains an active and registered charity,
number 514963,
registered on 27 March 1984.
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Ohel Rivka Kindergarten,
Alexandra Road Gateshead NE8, founded
by 1982.(lxii)
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Other Institutions & Organisations
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Friends in Need Society, founded in 1892, for relief
of Jewish poor.(lxv)
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Benevolent Loan Society, founded
in 1892.(lxvi)
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Gateshead Hebrew Literary Society,
founded by 1902.(lxvii)
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Gateshead Chevrah Kadisha formerly Beth Hamedrash Chevrah Kadisha -
formed in 1902 on the merger of Chevrah Agdath Achim and
Chevrah Kadisha.(lxviii)
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Jewish Board of Guardians, founded by 1905.(lxix)
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Jewish Naturalisation Society, founded by 1911.(lxx)
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Women's Aid Society, founded by 1911.(lxxi)
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Community Records
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Numerous records of the Jewish Communities in Northeast England are deposited with the Tyne and Wear Archives Service
(https://twarchives.org.uk/).
Click Here to
view a sample of these records, as of December 2005.
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Registration District (for BMD):
Gateshead (since 1 July 1837).
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Gateshead Jewish Population Data
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1897
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131 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1896/7) |
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1898
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123 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1898/9) |
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1906
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120 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1906/7) |
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1913
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130 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1914) |
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1919
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100 families |
(The Jewish Year Book 1920) |
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1945
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160 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1945/6) |
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1949
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350 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1950) |
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1946
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160 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1947) |
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1955
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350 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1956) |
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1973
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600 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1974) |
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1988
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660 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1989) |
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1997
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1,400 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1998) |
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2001
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1,564* |
(2001 Census results) |
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2011
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3,004* |
(2011 Census results) |
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2021
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2,905* |
(2021 Census results) |
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*The 2001, 2011 and 2021 census result figures represent those who answered the voluntary question 'What is your religion?' by clicking the category
'Jewish' among the eight check-box options (another of which was 'No religion'). However, between 6.0% to 7.7% of the population nationally did not
answer the question and the figure would not have included those who considered themselves Jews by ethnicity but not by religion,
and accordingly the actual number of Jews would be higher than the figures shown.
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Census Data
Information supplied by Harold Pollins
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Notes & Sources
(↵
returns to text above)
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Jewish Congregations in Tyne and Wear
Jewish Communities of England home page
Page created: 21 August 2005
Latest revision or update: 9 August 2024
Explanation of Terms |
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