Bristol Jewish Community

Other Jewish Institutions & Organisations in Bristol

General Communal Organisations

• Shechita Board established in 1927.^(xxi)

• Bristol Council of Jewish Women, founded by 1945.^(xxii)

• Council of Christian and Jews, founded by 1948.^(xxiii)

• Bristol Jewish Representative Council (known as the Bristol Jewish Liason Committee until about 1997), founded by 1984.^(xxiv)

Institutions connected with the University

• Bristol University Jewish and Israel Society, (known as the Bristol University Jewish Society until about 1996) founded by 1951.^(xxvii)

• Bristol and Western Region University Chaplaincy. The chaplaincy couple include:

  • Rabbi Natan Levy and Ariella Levy - until 2007.^(xxviii)

  • Rabbi Moshe Baron and Melissa Baron - from 2008 to 2011.^(xxix)

  • Rabbi Michael Rosenfeld-Schueler - from about 2023 until present (November 2023)^(xxx)

• Hillel House, established by 1980.^(xxxi)

Other Educational

• Polack's House, Clifton College. This was a boarding house (initially called Hamburg House), founded in 1878, dedicated for Jewish boys, at Clifton College, a public school in Bristol.^(xxxiv)  It existed for some 125 years, complete with its own synagogue and kosher dining facilities. Polack's House closed in 2005.^(xxxi)
  
  Housemasters of Polack's House were: Bernard Heymann (1878-1890); Rev. Joseph Polack (after whom the house was named) (1890-1922); Albert Polack (1922-1948); Philip Polack (1948-1964); Ernest Polack (1964-1979).^(xxxvi)
  

  Jewish Alumni of Polack's House or other houses at Clifton College (prepared by Steven Jaffe):

  • Leslie Hoare-Belisha, later 1st Baron Hore-Belisha (1893-1957), British politician and Member of Parliament, initially representing the Liberal Party, then National Liberal Party and later the Conservative Party. He served as the UK Minister of Transport (1934–1937) and Secretary for War (1937–1940).

  • Frederick S. Boas OBE FRSL (1862-1967), leading Shakespearian scholar, son of Herman Boas, President of the Belfast Hebrew Congregation.

  • Nicky Chinn (b.1945) song writer and record producer.

  • Sir Trevor Chinn CVO (b.1935) businessman, philanthropist. Appointed President of the Movement for Reform Judaism in 2016.

  • David Jacobs, later Baron Jacobs (1931-2014) businessman, created Life Peer in 1997.

  • Sir Horace Kadoorie CBE (1902-1995) Hong Kong based industrialist, hotelier and philanthropist, brother of Lawrence, Lord Kadoorie.

  • Lawrence Kadoorie, later Baron Kadoorie CBE (1899-1993), Hong Kong based industrialist, hotelier and philanthropist, brother of Sir Horace Kadoorie.

  • Neville Laski QC (1890-1969) Judge and President of the Board of Deputies (1933-39).

  • Elliot Levey (b.1973) Olivier award winning actor.

  • Sir Alan Macotta OBE (1907-1990) Judge, President of the Board of Elders of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews’ Congregation, London (1967-82).

  • Edwin Samuel Montagu PC (1879-1924), British politician and Liberal Member of Parliament, who served as Secretary of State for India (1917-1922). Cabinet member who opposed the Balfour Declaration in 1917.

  • Louis Samuel Montagu, later 2nd Baron Swaythling (1869-1927) banker, co-founder of League of British Jews and President of the Federation of Synagogues until 1925.

  • Alan Montefiore (1926-2024) academic philosopher.

  • Edgar Samuel (1928-2023) director of the London Jewish Museum (1983-95), and President of the Jewish Historical Society of England.

  • Leonard Wolfson, later Baron Wolfson (1927-2010) chairman of Great Universal Stores and of the Wolfson Foundation and president of the Jewish Welfare Board.

  • Sir Bernard Waley-Cohen, Baronet (1914-1991), City businessman, vice president United Synagogue and treasurer Jewish Board of Guardians, Lord Mayor of London (1960-61). Son of Sir Robert Waley Cohen.

  • Sir Robert Waley Cohen (1877-1952) industrialist, principally for the Shell Company, president of the United Synagogue. Father of Sir Bernard Waley-Cohen.

  • David Wolfson, later Baron Wolfson of Sunningdale (1935-2021) chairman of Great Universal Stores and of Next Plc, Chief of Staff at 10 Downing Street 1979-85.

  Following the closure, the Polack's House Educational Trust makes available scholarships to the Clifton College, which offers a wide Jewish programme at its Polack Centre, and includes a synagogue and a social centre. Commencing 2019 the school appointed  its own (non-orthodox) Jewish chaplain, Rabbi Anna Gerrard served in such capacity from 2019 until 2023.^(xxxvii)

  Synagogues at Schools and Orphanages

Welfare and Friendly Societies

• Bristol Jewish Welfare Society, a society of the Bristol Hebrew Congregation^(xl) formed on 23 November 1952^(xli) upon the merger of:

  • Bristol Hebrew Ladies' Benevolent Society, founded in 1845 for the relieve the poor families resident in Bristol above one year, pecuniary or otherwise during confinement, sickness, mourning, general distress, and at the festivals, also for the education and clothing of children.^(xlii)

  • Bristol Board of Guardians, founded 1890 for the relief of the poor.^(xliii)

• Jewish Loan Society, founded October 1896.^(xliv)

• Jewish Ladies Loan Society, founded by 1903.^(xlvii)

• United Jewish Friendly Societies (formerly Order Achei B'rith and Shield of Abraham)

  •  Sir Julian Goldsmid Lodge No. 26, Bristol, in existence from about 1904 until 1950s.^(xlviii)

  • Bristol (Ladies) Lodge No. 60, in existence from about 1918 until 1950s.^(xlix)

• Refugee Aid Committee, founded by 1939.^(l)

• Joint Committee for the Religious Education and Welfare of Jewish Refugee Children, formed during Worls War II.^(li)

Social, Literary and Religious Organisations

• Anglo-Jewish Association, branch initially established on 12 May 1878 by John G. Levy but defunct by 1880s.^(liv)  A Bristol branch was re-established 3 November 1899.^(lv)

• Jewish Literary & Social Society (which until about 1939^(lvi) was known as the Jewish Literary Society, having in 1915 changed its name from the Jewish Social and Debating Society^(lvii)), was founded in 1894 according to some sources,^(lviii) although in 1893 there was a Bristol Jewish Literary and Debating Society.^(lix) (An earlier Bristol Hebrew Literary and Debating Society had existed in about 1880/81.^(lx))

• Jewish Social Society, founded by about 1937^(lxiii) with Entertainment, Catering and Juvenile committees.

• Jewish Girls Club, founded 1902.^(lxiv)

• Jewish Working Men's Social Club, founded by 1903.^(lxv)

• Chevra Tillim, founded by 1903.^(lxvi)

• Jewish Boys' Sabbath Observance Society, founded by 1903.^(lxvii)

• Jewish Club and Institute, founded in 1909.^(lxx)

• Jewish Discussion Group, founded by 1932.^(lxxi)

• Jewish Dramatic Society, founded by 1932.^(lxxii)

• Davar (Jewish Institute in Bristol), founded by 1996, a cultural and educational organisation to encourage Jewish Identity with the widest possible spectum.^(lxxiii)

Israel and Zionist Organisations

• Chovevei Zion founded in 1890, but of short duration.^(lxxvi)

• Zionist Society founded by about 1921,^(lxxvii) although an earlier Bristol Zionist Association in existence from January 1900 until about 1905.^(lxxviii)

• WIZO, branch founded by 1956.^(lxxxi)

• JNF Commission, branch founded by 1927.^(lxxxii)

• Bristol Committee for the Jewish Agency, formed by 1930.^(lxxxiii)

Miscellaneous Organisations

• British Legion (Polack Branch), founded by 1936.^(lxxxvi)

• Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women (AJEX), branch founded by 1949.^(lxxxvii)