the former

Sheffield Central Hebrew Congregation

Sheffield, South Yorkshire

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Congregation Data

Name:

Sheffield Central Hebrew Congregation
(also known as the Sheffield Central Synagogue)

Former Name:

Sheffield New Hebrew Congregation until about 1919⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾

Last Permanent Address:

Lee Croft (corner Campo Lane), Sheffield (acquired 19 June 1904, but not completed and consecrated until 1914^(iv)) - destroyed by German enemy action on 12 December 1940.^(v)

Following the destruction of the synagogue, the congregation moved to temporary premises at 93 Brunswick Street, Sheffield (premises of the Sheffield Jewish Education Board), from about 1941.

Previous Addresses

Hallamshire Hall, 93-99 West Bar, Sheffield, from at least 1891 until 1914

Prior thereto at 47 West Bar Green, Sheffield (over a pork butcher's shop/between two pork butchers' shops).
Initially in Solley Street, Sheffield.^(ix)

Formation:

A growing rift developed in the community in the 1850s and 1860s between the controlling elite of the Sheffield Hebrew Congregation (Figtree Lane) and the newcomers. This culminated, probably in the early 1860s,^(x) with the breaking away of the dissident members, who initially formed a Benevolent Society ("Chevra"), which developed into the Sheffield New Hebrew Congregation. During the 1870's there was an at least one additional such society.^(xi)

Status

On 1 April 1953, the congregation merged with the Sheffield Hebrew Congregation to form the United Hebrew Congregation, Sheffield.^(xii)

The agreement to merge had been ratified by Sheffield Central Hebrew Congregation on 3 March 1953.^(xiii)

Ritual:

Ashkenazi Orthodox

Affiliation:

None, although the congregation was a provincial synagogue under the aegis of the Chief Rabbi.

Incorporated Congregation:

In about 1896, the Yanashker Synagogue was founded, meeting at the top of Scotland Street, Sheffield. The congregation was very short-lived, and upon its closure the majority of its former members joined the Sheffield New Hebrew Congregation.

Communal Rabbis and Principal Minister:

Rabbi Moshe Avigdor Chaikin - communal rabbi from 1892 until 1901^(xx)

Rabbi Mordechai Isaac Levin Epstein - communal rabbi from 1904 until 1925^(xxi)

Rabbi Dr. Solomon Fisch - minister from 1926 until 1946^(xxii)

Other Ministers and Readers:
(To view a short profile of a minister or reader whose name appears in blue - hold the cursor over his name.)

Rev. Solomon Homburg - dates unknown^(xxiv)

Rev. A. Alexander - reader from about 1904 until about 1915^(xxv)

Rev. M. Temple - reader from about 1915 until about 1919^(xxvi)

Rev. Abraham Warshawsky - reader from about 1919 until 1927^(xxvii)

Rev. Abraham Noach Oler - reader from 1927 until 1931^(xxx)

Rev. Girsas Braunstein - reader from 1931 until about 1946^(xxxi)

Rev. Martin Norden - reader in and about 1946^(xxxii)

Rev. S. Joseph - reader from about 1949 until about 1953^(xxxiii)

Lay Officers from 1896:

Unless otherwise indicated, the information below on the congregation's officers has been extracted from the following sources:

a. Presidents and Treasurers, 1896 to 1935 - from the list of officers on pp. 39/40 of Armin Krausz's Sheffield Jewry^(xl);

b. Other data, from Jewish Year Books, first published in 1896/7^(xli);

In most instances, an officer's first name has been obtained from other sources, in particular from other references to him in Armin Krausz's book.

Presidents

1896-1897 - Solomon Pesach Cohen

1897-1900 - B.L. Alexander

1900-1901 - Lewis Isaacs

1901 - I. Sagul^(xliv)

1901-1903 - B.L. Alexander

1903-1906 - J. Blaskey^(xlv)

1906-1907 - I. Laitner

1907-1909 - Benjamin Blaskey^(xlv)

1909-1910 - B. Crammer

1910-1911 - B.L. Alexander

1911-1912 - Benjamin Blaskey

1912-1913 - Lewis Isaacs

1913-1915 - Benjamin Blaskey

1915-1916 - Solomon Pesach Cohen

1916-1919 - Louis Kavonick

1919-1921 - B.L. Crammer

1921-1922 - Abraham D. Cantor

1922-1924 - Louis Kavonick

1924-1925 - B.L. Crammer

1925-1926 - Jacob Reinschreiber

1926-1927 - Hyman Bloomfield

1927-1928 - Jonas Quastel

1928-1929 - Leibe (Louis) Cohen

1929-1935 - Armin Krausz

1935-1936 - Jacob Berman

1936-1937 - E. Freed

1937-1938 - M. Bonner

1938-1940 - I.I. Buntman

1940-1945 - no data

1945-1946 - Hyman Bloomfield

1946-1948 - Eric Lipson

1948-1952 - Harry Benson

1952-1953 - Abe Silver

Hon. President

1931-1946 - David Isaacs

Vice President

1951-1953 - Jack Baillin

Treasurers

1896-1897 - B.L. Alexander

1897-1900 - J. Blaskey

1900-1901 - Isaac Winstone

1901-1904 - S. Brodie

1904-1905 - Simon London

1905-1906 - Barnett Resser

1906-1907 - B. Crammer

1907-1909 - Jacob Reinschreiber

1909-1910 - H.M. Fineberg

1910-1911 - B. Crammer

1911-1912 - Jacob Reinschreiber

1912-1913 - P. Cohen

1913-1914 - Jacob Reinschreiber

1914-1915 - H.M. Fineberg

1915-1916 - B. Crammer

1916-1917 - B.L. Crammer

1917 - H. Goodman^(xlvi)

1917-1919 - B.L. Crammer

1919-1921 - Abraham D. Cantor

1921-1922 - David Crammer

1922-1923 - Jacob Reinschreiber

1923-1924 - David Crammer

1924-1925 - I. Rubin

1925-1926 - Jacob Plotskie

1926-1927 - David Crammer

1927-1929 - Armin Krausz

1929-1931 - Sol Goffin

1931-1933 - S.M. Ravitz

1933-1935 - Abraham D. Cantor

1935-1937 - M. Bonner

1937-1940 - Jacob Sugarman

1940-1945 - no data

1945-1946 - N. Krausz

1946-1948 - M.A. Kaddish

1948-1953 - Abe Silver

Wardens

1896-1897 - M.H. Agar

1926-1927 - Leibe (Louis) Cohen

1948-1951 - M. Ravitz

1948-1953 - Samuel Krieke

1951-1953 - S. Gotlib

Secretaries or Hon. Secretaries

1896-1897 - Barnett Resser

1897-1898 - B. Jacobs

1898-1902 - J. Fitelberg

1902-1904 - H.S. Science

1904-1906 - Barnett Resser

1907-1911 - M. Fineberg

1911-1916 - Mark Sheff

1916-1919 - H. Blumenfeld

1919-1938 - Bernard Fredlieb

1938-1940 - Cyril Keller

1940-1945 - no data

1945-1946 - Rabbi Dr Solomon Fisch

1946-1951 - Jack Ballin

1951-1953 - N. Dawson

Membership Data:

Number of Seatholders - Jewish Year Books

1896

1898

1899

1902

1908

1909

1919

104

80

100

150

140

100

125

Cemetery
Information:

In 1880, the congregation's offshoot, the Sheffield Hebrew Benevolent Society, acquired the Walkley Jewish Cemetery. For details. see Cemetery Information on Sheffield Jewish Community home page..

Search the All-UK Database

The records in the database specifically associated, or possibly associated, with this congregation include:

Marriages, 1842-1952
- Sheffield Central Hebrew Congregation (62 records);
- West Bar Green Synagogue (63 records);
- Miscellaneous and unspecified congregations, (152 records).
Burials
- Bowden Street Jewish Cemetery (closed), 1833 - 1874 (8 records);
- Colley Road Cemetery, Ecclesfield, 1932 - 1953 (170 records);
- Colley Road, Ecclesfield, 1874 - 1997 (1,390 records);
- Walkley Jewish Cemetery, 1880 - 1945 (125 records.

For a list of other Sheffield records in the Database that may also include records associated with this congregation, click here.

Bibliography, Online Articles and Other Material
relating to this Congregation

Sheffield Jewry book cover

On JCR-UK

Bibliography
- Sheffield Jewry - Commentary on a Community (1980) by Armin Krausz, who served for some years as president of this congregation.
- Other Sheffield Bibliography

Notes & Sources
(↵ returns to text above)

(i) and (ii) Reserved.
(iii) Listed under this name in Jewish Year Books to 1919. ↵
(iv) Armin Krausz's Sheffield Jewry p.39. ↵
(v) Armin Krausz's Sheffield Jewry p.40. ↵
(vi) to (viii) Reserved.
(ix) Armin Krausz's Sheffield Jewry p.39. ↵
(x) Armin Krausz's Sheffield Jewry p.39. Krausz adds that a "more conservative investigation place the date of the break as 1872". Jewish Year Books give the date of the break as 1864 ↵
(xi) A congregational meeting in October 1875 refers to the two chevras, as does a letter from Chief Rabbi N. Adler. Clearly, in this period, the Jewish community was somewhat fragmented. ↵
(xii) Armin Krausz's Sheffield Jewry p.194. ↵
(xiii) Armin Krausz's Sheffield Jewry p.195. ↵
(xiv) to (xix) Reserved.
(xx) Jewish Chronicle profile of Rabbi Chaiken of 25 October 1901 gives these dates. He is listed (as Rabbi A. Chaikin) as minister of this congregation (and the Sheffield New Hebrew Congregation) in the first Jewish Year Book (1896/7) through 1901/2. ↵
(xxi) Armin Krausz's Sheffield Jewry, pp.11 and 76. ↵
(xxii) Armin Krausz's Sheffield Jewry p.13 (appointment) and 107 (resignation). Rabbi Fisch is listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1928 through 1945/6. ↵
(xxiii) Reserved.
(xxiv) Armin Krausz's Sheffield Jewry p.39. The "first Rabbi" of the congregation. ↵
(xxv) Rev. Alexander was listed as a minister, or a minister jointly with Rabbi Epstein, in Jewish Year Books from 1904/5 through 1915. He was previously listed as shochet from 1896/7 through 1903/4. ↵
(xxvi) Rev. Temple was listed as a minister of the congregation, jointly with Rabbi Epstein, in Jewish Year Books from 1916 through 1919. ↵
(xxvii) Rev. Warshawsky was listed as a minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1920 through 1927, jointly with Rabbi Epstein until 1926. ↵
(xxviii) and (xxix) Reserved.
(xxx) Armin Krausz's Sheffield Jewry p.14 (appointment) and 17 (resignation). Rev. Oler was listed as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1930 and 1931. ↵
(xxxi) Armin Krausz's Sheffield Jewry p.17 (appointment). Rev. Braunstein was listed as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1932 and 1945/6. ↵
(xxxi) Mentioned in Armin Krausz's Sheffield Jewry p.107. ↵
(xxxiii) Rev. Levy was listed as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1950 through 1953. ↵
(xxxiv) to (xxxix) Reserved.
(xl) The lists had been prepared by Krausz from the congregation's records of meetings, which were complete frome 1896 until Krausz resigned as president of the congregation in 1935. There are a number of differences between the details in the list and the details on the congregsation's presidents and treasurers appearing in Jewish Year Books, and we have noted below only the most significant differences and omissions. ↵
(xli) Where a person is first listed in a year book as holding a particular office, 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, being published generally towards the end of the year prior to the year appearing in the title of the year book. For example, if an officer is listed in Jewish Year Books 1936 through 1939, it is assumed that he commenced office in 1935 and continued in office until 1939. However, it should be noted that this is only an assumption and, accordingly, his actual years of office may differ somewhat from those shown here. The year book was not published during World War II. ↵
(xlii) and (xliii) Reserved.
(xliv) I. Sagul does not appear in Krausz's list, but is listed as president in the Jewish Year Book 1901/2. ↵
(xlv) In all instances with regard to the congregation, Blaskey is spelled Blasky in the Jewish Year Books. ↵
(xliv) H. Goodman does not appear in Krausz's list, but is listed as treasurer in the Jewish Year Book 1918. ↵

Sheffield Jewish Community home page

Jewish Congregations in South Yorkshire

List of Synagogues destroyed by German air raids during World War II

Jewish Communities of England home page

Page created: 2 December 2005
Data significantly expanded and notes first added: 2 March 2022
Page most recently amended: 13 September 2024

Research and formatting by David Shulman

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