Synagogue at RAF Henlow

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Henlow

Henlow is a village, with a population of about 3,000, in east central Bedfordshire, situated about 11 miles southeast of Bedford, about 15 miles northeast of Luton and about 6 miles northwest of Letchworth.

Henlow formed part of the Biggleswade Rural District within the county of Bedford until 1974, when the district was merged with a number of neighbouring authorities to form the local authority district of Mid Bedfordshire, still within the county of Bedfordshire. In 2009, Mid Bedfordshire merged with the district of South Bedfordshire to form Central Bedfordshire, a unitary authority, within Bedfordshire for ceremonial purposes.

RAF Henlow started life as a military aircraft repair depot in 1918 and developed into a full RAF station over the next decade or so and played an important part in World War II. However, flying activity ceased in July 2020 and the station is due to close down in 2026.

 

Synagogue at RAF Henlow
Formation:	Cyril Galkoff, who served as senior dental officer at RAF Henlow towards the end of World War II, helped to establish the synagogue. "I put a notice up saying I was going to hold a Friday night service, and 50 Jewish servicemen and women tuned up. The next week, it was 100," he recalled. Mr. Galkoff conducted regular services, and was proud of the synagogue that was built soon afterwards."(ii) The synagogue was consecrated at a ceremony, conducted by Chief Rabbi Dr Joseph Hertz in the presence of Lieutenant-Colonel Rabbi Israel Brodie. The consecration was reported on The Jewish Chronicle front page.(iii) The report (which referred to the consecration of a synagogue, without specifying the precise whereabouts, for security reasons), praised the station commander, Air Commodore E.J.D. Townsend, for his cooperative attitude.
Activities and Chaplain:	Congregational activities included Friday evening services, a library, discussions, lectures and a Hebrew class was started. Rev. Saul Amias was visiting chaplain(v) and the nearby Luton Hebrew congregation provided services and hospitality.(vi)
Officers:	Officers elected in 1945: Flt.-Lieut. C. Galkoff - President;     Lac. M. Statman - Treasurer; Cpl. L. Waynberg and Lac. D. Green - Hon. Secretaries
Closure:	The synagogue ceased to function as National Service was phased out in the late 1950s / early 1960s.(viii)
Registration District (BDM):	Central Bedfordshire, since 1 April 2009(ix) -  Link to Register Office Website.
Notes & Sources (↵ returns to text above) (i) Reserved. (ii) The Jewish Chronicle report of 24 October 2003. ↵ (iii) The Jewish Chronicle report of 19 January 1945. ↵ (iv) Reserved. (v) The Jewish Chronicle report of 13 July 1945. To view a short profile of Rev. Amias, hold the cursor over his name. ↵ (vi) The Jewish Chronicle report of 30 March 1945. ↵ (vii) Reserved. (viii) The Jewish Chronicle report of 11 January 1985. ↵ (ix) Previous registration districts: Biggleswade from 1 July 1837 to 1 May 1999; and Bedfordshire from 1 May 1999 to 1 April 2009. Any registers would now be held by the current register office. ↵