the former

Hove Hebrew Congregation

Hove, East Sussex

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

Hove Synagogue
The former Holland Road Synagogue,
photograph courtesy of Hove Hebrew Congregation © 2017

Congregation Data
Name:	Hove Hebrew Congregation also known as the Holland Road Synagogue and, from 1927 to 1929, the New Synagogue⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾
Address:	79 Holland Road, Hove The plot (on the corner of Lanssdown Road) was formerly Moss's Olympic Gymnasium. The foundation stone of the synagogue (designed by architect Marcus T. Glass, FRIBA) was laid 14 December 1929 by Chief Rabbi Dr. J. H. Hertz^(iv) and the synagogue consecrated on 23 February 1930.^(v) Prior to the construction of the synagogue, members held services in members homes and at The Little Vic Theatre in St. Margaret's Place.^(vi) bers a further addition to the synagogue was made in the 1950s to house a Talmud Torah, kitchens and a hall.^(vi)
Formation:	Jews had started settling in Hove from at least 1914 and held minyanim in private homes. Although many of the residents were members of Brighton's Middle Street Synagogue, due to the distances involved, it was not practical to attend services on the Sabbath. Further over the years tensions developed between the Hove residents and the synagogue (the latter being extremely Anglicised and not to the liking of the Hove members, many of whom were recent arrivals from Eastern Europe). In 1927 a meeting was held by disgruntled Hove member of the Middle Street Synagogue, lead by Mr L.W Frankel, and a decision was made to form a new synagogue in Hove.^(vii)
Current Status:	The synagogue has now closed, the congregation having held its last service on Yom Kippur, September 2023.^(viii)
Ritual:	Ashkenazi Orthodox.
Affiliation:	The congregation was unaffiliated but under the aegis of the Chief Rabbi.
Ministers of the Congregation:^(xi) (To view a short profile of a minister or reader whose name appears in blue, hold the cursor over his name.)	Rev. Simon Anekstein - the congregation's first minister, from 1929 until about 1934^(xii) Rabbi Bernard (Barnett) L. Wilner - minister from 1934 until 1968^(xiii) Rabbi Sidney Leperer B.A - minister from 1970 until 1974^(xiv) Rev. Alec Ginsburg - minister from 1976 until 1980^(xv) Rabbi Anthony Goldblatt - minister from 1983 until 1987^(xvi) Rabbi Eli Salasnik - acting minister from 1989 until about 1993^(xx) Rabbi Vivian C. Silverman - minister from 1996 until 2016^(xxi) Rabbi Samuel de Beck Spitzer - minister from 2017 to September 2023^(xxii)
Temporary or Visiting Ministers:	Rev. Maurice Unterman - a member of the congregation in the early 1950s who appears to have acted on occasions as an assistant minister.^(xxvi) Rabbi Dr. Julius Carlebach - a resident of Brighton from the early 1960s to the mid-1990s, he served on several occasions as locum minister on a temporary basis as and when required.^(xxvii) Rabbi Leon Benarroch - an interim minister in 1987/8.^(xxviii) Rev. Eli Sufrin - served from time to time as temporary minister during in early 1990s.^(xxix) Rev. Michael Moshe Dick - a temporary minister in about 1993.^(xxx) Ayal Lebovitch - served in a temporary capacity in about 1994.^(xxxi)
Chazan (Reader):	Rev. Kalman Fausner - from 1933 until 1987; and thereafter emeritus chazan^(xxxii)
Lay Officers of the Congregation:	Unless otherwise indicated, the information on the congregation's officers below, has been extracted from Jewish Year Books. These were not published during the war years 1941 to 1945, nor generally were there any listings of lay officers (other than secretary) subsequent to 1956.^(xxxvi)
	Presidents 1929-1934 - H. Rose 1934-1935 - B. Golomb 1935-1936 - Woolf Bilmes 1937-1940 - B. Golomb 1940-1945 - no data 1945-1950 - A.G. Jackson 1950-1953 - S.F. Charkham 1953-1954 - Rev. Maurice Unterman 1954-1956 - J. Prevezer Treasurers 1929-1934 - A. Gordon 1934-1939 - no data 1939-1940 - Aubrey C. Fish 1940-1945 - no data 1945-1946 - A. Aarons 1946-1948 - R. Issacharoff 1948-1949 - S.F. Charkham 1950-1954 - A. Swirsky 1954-1955 - J. Prevezer 1955-1956 - L. Tuckman	Wardens 1945-1946 - S. Goldman & A. Tartcher 1946-1947 - J. Prevezer & S.B. Lunzer 1947-1948 - J. Prevezer & S. Aarons 1948-1949 - S. Goldman & S. Aarons 1949-1950 - L. Tuckman & S. Aarons 1950-1953 - J. Prevezer & Rev. Maurice Unterman 1953-1954 - S.F. Charkham & J. Prevezer 1954-1956 - S.F. Charkham & A. Swirsky Secretaries & Hon. Secretaries 1929-1934 - Rev. Simon Anekstein 1934-1946 - no data 1946-1948 - S.B. Lunzer 1948-1951 - E. Cashden^(xxxvii) 1949-1965 - G.H. Goldburgh^(xxxviii) 1965-1967 - A. Harris 1967-1969 - H. Brass 1969-1972 - M. Levene
Membership Data:	National Reports and Surveys^(xli) 1977 - 290 male (or household) members and 90 female members 1983 - 265 male (or household) members and 115 female members 1990 - 305 members (comprising 143 households, 76 individual male and 86 individual female members) 1996 - 215 members (comprising 115 households, 40 individual male and 60 individual female members) 2010 and 2016 - listed as having 100 to 199 members (by household)
Charitable Status:	The former congregation is a registered charity (no. 1150062), registered (standard registration) on 5 December 2012.^(xlii)
Cemetery Information:	The current Orthodox Jewish cemetery in Brighton, in use since the 1920s, is the Bear Road or Meadowview Jewish Cemetery. (For further details see Cemetery Information on the Brighton and Hove community page).

Online Articles and Other Material
relating to this Congregation

On JCR-UK

Photographs of the Holland Road Synagogue.

Institutions closely connected with the
Hove Hebrew Congregation

Hove Hebrew Congregation Ladies Guild

Hove Education Board (in and about 1945)^(xliii)

Hove Talmud Torah. In December 1957, the congregation's Talmud Torah building, with an additional hall, was consecrated by the Chief Rabbi.^(xliv) By 1985, an independent Talmud Torah (cheder classes) had been established.

Jewish Kindergarten in Talmud Torah Hall, Holland Road (in mid 1970s).^(xlv)

Notes & Sources
(↵ returns to text above)

(i) and (ii) Reserved.
(iii) Brighton Jewry 250 - An anthology of the Brighton & Hove Jewish Community 1766-2016) edited by Godfrey Gould and Michael Cook, (2016) ("Brighton Jewry 250"), p.43. ↵
(iv) Brighton Jewry 250, p.43. To view a description of the Jewish architectural works by M.T. Glass, hold your cursor over his name. ↵
(v) Brighton Jewry 250, p.44. ↵
(vi) Brighton Jewry 250, p.43. ↵
(vii) Brighton Jewry 250, pp.42/3. ↵
(vii) Jewish Chronicle report of 29 September 2023. ↵
(ix) and (x) Reserved
(xi) The primary source for the listing of ministers is Brighton Jewry 250, pp.59-64 - "Brighton & Hove's Jewish spiritual leadership - 1827 to present day" compiled by Gordon Franks ("Gordon Franks's listings"), which is now online as part of the Our Jewish History website. This has been supplemented by Jewish Year Book listings and other sources as indicated in footnotes. ↵
(xii) Based upon Rev. Akenstein's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1930 through 1934. Brighton Jewry 250, p.44 refers to him as taking up the Hove post upon his retirement from Brighton's Middle Street synagogue but this could well be an error, as no other reference could be found of his serving such synagogue. ↵
(xiii) Rabbi Wilner was also listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1935 through 1969. ↵
(xiv) Although Rabbi Leperer was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1973 through 1976, the dates of service here are based upon Gordon Franks's listing and Brighton Jewry 250, p.45. ↵
(xv) Although Rev. Ginsburg acted as minister of the congregation he was actually listed as a joint reader in Jewish Year Books 1978 through 1980. ↵
(xvi) Rabbi Goldblatt was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1983 through 1985. ↵
(xvii) to (xix) Reserved.
(xx) Listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1991 through 1993 and a Jewish Chronicle report of 14 april 1989 states Rabbi Salasnik has been serving at Hove for the last few months. Although Rabbi Salasnik appears as a temporary minister without dates in Gordon Franks's listings, it is clear he served for several years. ↵
(xxi) The Jewish Chronicle of 19 January 1996 reported that Rabbi Silverman taking over at Hove and on 28 April 2017 report it reported that Rabbi Silverman had served there until 2016. He was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1997 until the last publication (2015). ↵
(xxii) The Jewish Chronicle of 27 April 2017 reported that "a soloist with the New Israeli Opera has hit the right note with the Hove Hebrew Congregation, where he is taking over the pulpit." The Jewish Chronicle of 29 September 2023 reported on the closure of the synagogue and the termination of Rabbi De Beck Spitzer's term of office. ↵
(xxiii) to (xxv) Reserved.
(xxvi) Jewish Chronicle obituary 24 November 2000. ↵
(xxvii) Brighton Jewry 250, p.46. ↵
(xxviii) Listed as a temporary minister in Gordon Franks's listings, without dates. He was a part time chazan at the Middle Street synagogue in the early 1990s. ↵
(xxix) Jewish Chronicle reports. ↵
(xxx) Internet research. ↵
(xxxi) Although A. Lebovitch appears in Gordon Franks's listings as a temporary minister, it appears more likely that he was a member of the congregation who assisted in conducting the services. ↵
(xxxii) Gordon Franks's listings and Rev. Fausner's listing as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1940 through 1988. ↵
(xxxiii) and (xxxv) Reserved.
(xxxvi) 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. 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 1930 through 1934, it is assumed that he commenced office in 1929 and continued in office until 1934. 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. ↵
(xxxvii) E. Cashden was listed in Jewish Year Books as "Secretary" and B.H. Goldburgh was listed as "Hon Secretary". Accordingly both are listed here covering the years 1949 through 1951. ↵
(xxxviii) E. Cashden was listed in Jewish Year Books as "Secretary" and B.H. Goldburgh was listed as "Hon Secretary". Accordingly both are listed here covering the years 1949 through 1951. In addition, the Jewish Year Book did not provide any details of lay officers of this congregation in the editions from 1957 until 1963, when it resumed listing the hon. secretary. B.H. Goldburgh was listed as hon secretary in the editions from 1950 through 1956 and from 1963 through 1965, and it is assumed that he also served in such capacity in the intervening period. ↵
(xxxix) and (xl) Reserved.
(xli) Reports on synagogue membership in the United Kingdom, published by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and which can be viewed on the website of the Institute of Jewish Policy Research. Click HERE for links to the various reports. ↵
(xlii) Charity Commission website, accessed August 2022. ↵
(xliii) Listed only in Jewish Year Book 1945/6. ↵
(xliv) Brighton Jewry 250, p.46. The Talmud Torah was not separately listed in Jewish Year Books. ↵
(xlv) Listed in Jewish Year Books 1976 and 1977. ↵

Brighton and Hove Jewish Community home page

Jewish Congregations in East Sussex

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Page created: 24 November 2005
Data significantly expanded and notes first added: 27 August 2017
Data further significantly expanded: 23 August 2022
Page most recently amended: 22 May 2024

Research by David Shulman, assisted by Steven Jaffe
Formatting by David Shulman

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