Bournemouth Jewish Community

Selected Press Report Extracts on the Bournemouth Jewish Community

Jewish Chronicle, 29 May 1914

"[A] number of ladies and gentlemen assembled at the house of Mr. and Mrs. S. M. Silverman, to take leave of the Rev. L. W. Klein and Mrs. Klein, on their departure from Bournemouth."

Jewish Chronicle, 25 June 1926

The Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation has sustained a very great loss by his death in a Margate nursing-home last Friday night, of the Rev. David Lewis Halpern, for the past thirteen years the Minister and Chazan of the community. He had been ill for the past five months and had gone away to Margate, but his lamentable death came as a great shock to Bournemouth Jewry inasmuch as, the day before he died, the congregation had received a letter from the doctors attending him to the effect that they expected him to be well enough to resume his duties in three months' time. The deceased came to Bournemouth in 1913 from Aberdeen, of which congregation he had been Minister. In his religious opinions he favoured nothing but the strictest orthodoxy, and, in spite of some controversy which this caused among the congregation, he always retained the courage of his convictions. Mr. Halpern was a comparatively young man, aged only 41 years, and leaves a widow and four young children. Mention must be made of his work in connection with the local Talmud Torah, for he was always fond of children, and they all loved him as their Hebrew teacher and their friend. During the war he did excellent work in the Dorchester Internment Camp, arranging services for the Jewish people detained there.

Jewish Chronicle, 20 January 1928

The Rev. J. I Azulay, of Bournemouth, has been appointed Shochet, Teacher and Mohel to the Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation.

Jewish Chronicle, 27 December 1946

BOURNEMOUTH PRESENTATION TO RABBI HEILPERN
A farewell reception arranged for Rabbi C. L. and Mrs. Heilpern, which was to have been attended by the Mayor and Aldermen, had to be cancelled when Rabbi Heilpern received an urgent call to fly to Cyprus as representative of the Chief Rabbi's Council.

Jewish Chronicle, 16 March 1973

The Rev Meir Lev [later of Bournemouth], at present reader at the Great Synagogue, Belgrave Street, Leeds, has been appointed reader to the Birmingham Central Synagogue

Jewish Chronicle, 30 April 1982

"A serious gap in the Glasgow Jewish communal scene has resulted from the appointment of Rabbi Leon Benarroch as minister of the Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation...Rabbi Benarroch's appointment was unanimously confirmed at Sunday's special meeting of the Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation...".

Jewish Chronicle, 17 February 1984

From obituary of Rev. Azulay:
"He came to England in 1921 and took up a communal post in Bournemouth."

Jewish Chronicle, 1 May 1987

"Rabbi Leon Benarroch conducted his final service as minister of Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation at the end of Pesach..in the short term the vacancy will be filled by retired rabbis living locally."

Jewish Chronicle, 23 February 1990

"Rabbi Harris will replace Rabbi Alan Lewis, whose controversial departure to Wanstead and Woodford Synagogue, East London, resulted in a £2,000 payment to Bournemouth from his new community."

Jewish Chronicle, 16 July 1992

"Kenton's the Rev Geoffrey Shisler — one of the few remaining full-time chazanim within the United Synagogue — is leaving London for a provincial posting. He joins Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation in November."

Jewish Chronicle, 18 October 1996

BIRMINGHAM
"More than 200 members of the Central Synagogue packed the communal hall last week to say farewell to their chazan of 23 years, the Rev Meir Lev, and his wife, Carol [formerly of Bournmouth]."

Jewish Chronicle, 10 November 2000

"A Kiddush was held in honour of Rabbi Geoffrey Shisler and his wife, Anne, on their final weekend with the Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation before moving to the New West End Synagogue, in London."

Jewish Chronicle, 14 March 2008

"Rabbi Adrian Jesner has become the spiritual head of Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation. The congregation had been without a rabbi since the departure of Rabbi Lionel Rosenfeld more than two years ago."