the former

Bargoed Hebrew Congregation

& Jewish Community

Bargoed, Caerphilly, Wales

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congregations throughout the British Isles and Gibraltar, both past and present.

Town of Bargoed

Bargoed is a town with a population of about 13,000 situated in the Rhymney Valley in South East Wales. It lies about 18 miles north of Cardiff and 16 miles north-west of Newport, some 8 miles south of New Tredegar, 10 miles southeast of Merthyr Tydfil and about 10 miles southwest of Pontypridd.

Until 1974, Bargoed formed part of the urban district of Gelligaer in the historic county of Glamorgan. From 1974 until 1996, it was part of the district of Rhymney Valley in the new county of Mid Glamorgan. In 1996, Mid Glamorgan was abolished as an administrative county, and the district became part of the county borough of Caerphilly - a unitary authority. (Initially Caerphilly remained split between the ceremonial, or preserved, counties of Mid Glamorgan and Gwent, but in 2003 the entire county borough was placed in the ceremonial county of Gwent.)

The Jewish Community

A Jewish community existed in Bargoed in early part of the twentieth century and was was closely connected with the slightly larger neighbouring community in New Tredegar.

Congregation Data
Name:	Bargoed Hebrew Congregation
Founded	The congregation was formed by 1915.^(iv)
Address	Although there are references in The Jewish Chronicle in 1915 and 1919 to a synagogue in Bargoed, the address is not currently known.
Closure:	In about 1926, the congregation merged with the New Tredegar Hebrew Congregation, which took the name New Tredegar and Bagoed Hebrew Congregation.^(v)
Ritual:	Ashkenazi Orthodox
Affiliation:	The congregation was an unaffiliated congregation under the aegis of the Chief Rabbi.
Ministers: (To view a short profile - hold the cursor over the name.)	In September 1918, Rev. Samuel Wolfe, minister of the New Tredegar Hebrew Congregation, was elected minister and teacher to the Rhymney Valley District Community,^(vi) which included Bargoed. However, by 1919, he became a minister elsewhere in Wales. In October 1919, Rev. Aaron Joshua Fass was elected minister, teacher and shochet of the congregation,^(vii) but remained only a short while as, by January 1920, the congregation was again advertising the position.^(viii)
Lay Officers:	Very limited data is available on the congregation's lay officers and this is very sketchy.
Lay Officers:	William Wolfson - president from about 1915 until about 1918 and treasurer from about 1918 until about 1926.^(xi) Emanuel Shibko - hon. secretary from about 1918 until about 1926.^(xii)
Registration District:	Caerphilly, since 1 April 1996^(xiii) - Link to Register Office website
Cemetery Information:	There is no Jewish cemetery in New Tredegar, the closest being in Brynmawr and at in Merthyr Tydfil.

Online Articles, and Other Material
relating to the Bargoed Jewish Community

on JCR-UK

Press Reports relating to the Bargoed Jewish Community 1906 - 2008, compiled by Harold Pollins.
How 'Greeners' Came to the Valley by Michael Wallach, Jewish Chronicle Colour Magazine, 1975.
Bibliography.

Notable Jewish Connections with Bargoed

There was a group of Jewish miners in Bargoed in the 1930s and early 1940s. "Mr Lewis Hamburg of Cardiff remembers when he was saying kaddish in 1941 he would find a regular minyan at Bargoed ...... About six members worked on the coke ovens, another half-dozen in the mines. They were sons of working-class immigrants, and he reflects that they were 'very yiddishlech,' strictly observant and knowledgeable; one miner conducted the service beautifully in the best Welsh manner."^(xiv)

Jewish Population Data

Click HERE to view Jewish population figures for the whole county borough of Caerphilly from UK Censuses since 2001.

Notes & Sources
(↵ returns to text above)

(i) to (iii) Reserved.
(iv) The Jewish Chronicle of 8 October 1915 makes first reference to the congregation, being an advertisement for a shochet and teacher, and it is probable such advertisement was placed shortly following the establishment of the congregation. The congregation was first listed in the Jewish Year Books 1916. ↵
(v) The Jewish Chronicle of 15 July 1927 makes refers for the first time to the merged congregation and Jewish Year Books from 1927 refer to the New Tredegar congregation as having been joined by the Bargoed congregation. ↵
(vi) The Jewish Chronicle report of 20 September 1918. ↵
(vii) The Jewish Chronicle report of 24 October 1919. ↵
(viii) The Jewish Chronicle report of 30 January 1920. ↵
(ix) and (x) Reserved.
(xi) Based upon W. Wolfson's listing in Jewish Year Books as president of the congregation in editions 1916 through 1918 and as treasurer in editions 1919 through 1926. ↵
(xii) Based upon E. Shibko's listing as hon secretary of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1919 through 1926. ↵
(xiii) Previous Registration District: Merthyr Tydfil from at least 1 April 1885 to 1 April 1996. All registers would now be held by the current office. ↵
(xiv) Quote from How 'Greeners' Came to the Valley by Michael Wallach, Jewish Chronicle Colour Magazine, 1975. ↵

Former Jewish Communities in the county borough of Caerphilly home page

Jewish Congregations in the historic county of Glamorganshire

Jewish Congregations in the former administrative county of Gwent

Jewish Congregations in Wales, listed according to current unitary authorities

Jewish Communities & Congregations in Wales home page
(including online articles)

Page created: 13 May 2006
Data significantly expanded and notes added: 10 December 2024
Page most recently amended: 10 December 2024

Research and formatting by David Shulman

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