Hertsmere Jewish Community

Borough of Hertsmere

Hertsmere is a borough in the county of Hertfordshire. It is situated immediately to the north of the London Boroughs of Barnet, Harrow and Enfield, and therefore just outside the administrative boundary of Greater London. The principal towns are Borehamwood, Elstree, Bushey, Radlett, Potters Bar and Shenley.

Hertsmere was formed as a local government district in April 1974, upon the merger of the urban districts of Bushey and Potters Bar, the rural district of Elstree (which included Elstree and Borehamwood) and part of the rural district of Watford (which included Radlett and Shenley, and was known as the rural district of Barnet until 1941).  These were all in Hertfordshire, although Potters Bar only became part of Hertfordshire in 1965, having formerly been in the county of Middlesex. Hertsmere received borough status in 1977.

The Hertmere Jewish Community

The Jewish community in Hertsmere is relatively new and was generally considered an overspill from the large communities in the London Borough of Barnet, just to the south. However it has grown substantially in recent years and in the 2011 census, Hertsmere polled as the second most Jewish local authority in the United Kingdom, with Jews constituting approximately 14% of the population.

Although the Jewish population has spread throughout much the borough, the largest concentration is in Borehamwood and Elstree, which has a number of congregations and an eruv (since November 2010). In addition, there are significant congregations in Bushey Heath (also now with an eruv), Radlett, Potters Bar and Shenley. Apart from the Borehamwood & Elstree Synagogue (founded 1955), all of the Hertsmere congregations have been established since the late 1960s.