the former

The Merthyr Tydfil Hebrew Congregation

& Jewish Community

Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales

JCR-UK is a genealogical and historical website covering all Jewish communities and
congregations throughout the British Isles and Gibraltar, both past and present.

Site of Merthyr Tydfil Synagogue, built 1872

Town of Merthyr Tydfil

The town of Merthyr Tydfil (also spelled Merthyr Tudful or Merthyr Tydvil), with a population of about 55,000, is located on the river Taff in the centre of the valleys of south Wales, approximately 24 miles north of Cardiff.

Merthyr Tydfil formed the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil in the county of Glamorganshire. From 1974 until 1996, it became the district of Merthyr Tydfil in the new county of Mid Glamorgan. In 1996, Mid Glamorgan was abolished as an administrative county, and Merthyr Tydfil again became the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil - a unitary authority (within the ceremonial, or preserved, county of Mid Glamorgan).

The former Merthyr Tydfil synagogue
(by Chris Andrews, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link)

The Merthyr Tydfil Jewish Community

Merthyr once had a large and prosperous Jewish community, the first Jews having settled in the town by the 1830s.⁽ⁱ⁾ and there was a organised Jewish community by about 1848,⁽ⁱⁱ⁾ the first Jewish community in the Valleys of South Wales. The descendants of the 19th and 20th century community are now scattered. The last Jew living in Merthyr, George Black, died in Manchester around 1998.⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾

Congregation Data

Name:

Merthyr Tydfil Hebrew Congregation or Merthyr Tydfil Synagogue

Address:

Church Street / Bryntirion Road, Thomastown, Merthyr Tydfil, CF47 0EE.^(vi)

The site was acquired in about 1872^(vii) and the synagogue, designed by local architect, Charles Taylor, was inaugurated in March 1876.^(viii) The total cost (site and building) was £1,800, of which £1,000 was provided by a mortgage, which was still being repaid forty years later.^(ix)

The synagogue was reconstructed and dedicated in 1955.^(xii)

The synagogue was sold in 1982^(xiii) and became the Merthyr Christian Centre and then a gymnasium but was subsequently redundant and suffered continued vandalism. In 2009 it was slated to be turned into flats, whilst preserving the exterior of the building,^(xiv) but this plan did not materialise.

In 2019 the building was purchased by the Foundation for Jewish Heritage for the purposes of converting it into the Welsh Jewish Cultural Centre. Essential repairs were undertaken in 2021, partly funded by Cadw (Welsh Government’s historic environment service), including making the building weather-proof, and it is anticipated that it will open in 2025.^(xv)

The former synagogue, which is the oldest purpose-built synagogue in existence in Wales, has been described as a "Disneyland fantasy" of a building and is now a Grade II Listed Building (reference number 11426), designated on 16 October 1978 (amended 13 January 1988). View listing on the Cadw website.

Earlier Synagogues:

The first synagogue, in 1848,^(xviii) was in the area of Bethesda Street and Brecon Street.^(xix)

This was followed by a purpose-built synagogue in Victoria Street, Merthyr Tydfil, (at the back of Temperance Hall. The site, near the railway station, was acquired and the foundation stone was laid by Joseph Barnett, a prominent member of the community, on 29 May 1852.^(xx) Construction of the synagogue was completed within one year.^(xxi) There was accomodation for 60 men and 33 women.^(xxii)

The 1852 building was demolished in the 1990s and the earlier synagogue building has also long since vanished.^(xxiii)

Formation:

The congregation dated back to 1848 with the opening of the first synagogue.^(xxiv)

Closure:

The congregation became defuct with the closure and sale of the synagogue in 1982.

Ritual:

Ashkenazi Orthodox

Affiliation:

The congregation was an unaffiliated congregation under the aegis of the Chief Rabbi.

Ministers and Readers: (To view a short profile of a minister whose name appears in blue - hold the cursor over the name.)

Rev. Harris Isaac - minister/reader in and about 1851.^(xxviii)

Rev. Simon Greenbaum - reader in early 1860s.^(xxix)

Rev. Samuel Shynman - officiated at services in 1867 and 1871.^(xxx)

Rev. Abrahan Abelson - minister from about 1872 until about 1902.^(xxxi)

Rev. A.B. Jacobs - hon. reader during the 1880s.^(xxxii)

Rev. Harris Cohen - minister in about 1888/9.^(xxxv)

Rev. Bernard H. Rosengard - minister in 1891 until about 1886.^(xxxvi)

Rev. J. Jaffe - assistant minister 1897 and 1898.^(xxxvii)

Rev. Elias (Eli) Bloom - reader, and later, minister from 1901 until 1939.^(xxxviii)

Rev. Isaiah H. Raffalovitch - minister from 1903 until 1904.^(xxxix)

Rev. Isaac Aarons - minister from 1906 until about 1914.^(xlii)

Rev. Reuben Tribich - minister, possibly in about 1908.^(xliii)

Rev. Jacob Israelstam - minister from about 1917 until about 1920.^(xliv)

Rev. Kalman Joffé - minister in 1945 (and possibly earlier).^(xlv)

Rev. A. Waxman - minister from about 1946 until about 1951.^(xlvi)

Rev. A. Cohen - minister from about 1952 until about 1956.^(xlix)

Rev. Meyer Fine - minister from about 1956 until about 1961.^(l)

Rev. J. Kibel - minister from about 1962 until about 1964.^(li)

Rev. Solomon Greenstein - minister from about 1964 until about 1965.^(lii)

Board of Management, 1874:^(lv)

President: Barnett Jacobs; Treasurer: Gabriel Freedham

Committee: Harris Berenstein, Harris Goodman, David Hart, Harris Isaacs, Isaac Isaacs, Abraham B. Jacobs

Lay Officers from 1896:

Unless otherwise stated, all data on lay officers has been extracted from listings in Jewish Year Book (first published 1896/7).^(lvi)

Presidents

1896-1898 - M. Goodman

1898-1900 - Joseph Prag

1900-1901 - M. Goodman

1901-1902 - Joseph Prag

1903-1906 - H. Gittlesohn

1906-1910 - M. Levinsohn

1910-1911 - David Freedman

1911-1913 - Joseph Prag

1913-1915 - H. Himmelstein

1915-1924 - D.S. Freedman

1924-1926 - A.E. Roseman

1926-1932 - H. Schwartz

1932-1936 - Sol Freedman

1936-1938 - no data

1938-1940 - I. Hamilton

1940-1945 - no data

1945-1956 - I. Hamilton

Vice Presidents

1906-1907 - I. Fine

1907-1910 - A. Joseph

Treasurers

1898-1900 - P. Joseph

1900-1903 - H. Gittlesohn

1903-1906 - M. Levinsohn

1906-1908 - J. Hyman

1908-1910 - David Freedman

1910-1913 - H. Himmelstein

1913-1915 - M. Goodman

1915-1917 - G. Swallow

1917-1924 - H. Hamilton

1924-1926 - H. Schwartz

1926-1932 - Sol Freedman

1932-1935 - E. Sidman

1935-1938 - I. Hamilton

1938-1939 - no data

1939-1940 - A. Moscovitch

1940-1945 - no data

1945-1947 - A. Moscovitch

1947-1950 - Moss Shatz

1950-1956 - A. Sherman

Secretaries and Hon. Secretaries^(lvii)

1896-1897 - Joseph Prag

1897-1900 - M. Levinsohn^(lviii)

1900-1917 - A.I. Freedman

1917-1923 - J.C. Freedman

1923-1926 - Israel Fine

1926-1932 - H. Prag

1932-1939 - E.M. Cohen

1939-1940 - B. Hamilton

1940-1945 - no data

1945-1980 - B. Hamilton

Membership Data:

General

1851 - 30 appropriated seats (Provincial Jewry in Victorian Britain)

1874 - congregation numbered 238 persons^(lix)

Number of Seatholders - Board of Deputies Returns

1852

1860

1870

1874

1880

1890

1900

20

19

30

50

30

28

26

Number of Seatholders - Jewish Year Books^(lx)

1898

1909

1910

1919

27

20

40

60

Reports & Surveys^(lxi)

1977 - 14 male (or household) members and 10 female members

Registration District:

Merthyr Tydfil, since 1 July 1937 - Register Office website

MERTHYR TYDFIL JEWISH CEMETERY

JCR-UK HOSTED DATABASE

Search the
Merthyr Tydfil Jewish Cemetery Database,
including burial records and photographs of the headstones,
as well as a description of the cemetery.

The database covers all burials at the cemetery, up to and including the final burial in March 1999. In total there are 679 identified burials, of which there are 419 identified burial locations and 415 headstone images.

Basic Cemetery Information

Address: Brecon Road, Cefn Coed, Merthyr Tydfil CF48 2PL. Established 1865, extended 1935.^(lxx) The cemetery is maintained by the Board of Deputies. (An earlier database, with 624 searchable records without images, is included in JOWBR.)

Cemetery articles and other material on JCR-UK:

Poem on the Merthyr Jewish Cemetery - written by Grahame Davies (and published in his anthology, "The Chosen People - Wales and the Jews") in Welsh and English;
Photographs of the Merthyr Jewish Cemetery contributed by Wendy Bellany;
Photographs of the Cemetery Ohel, built about 1878, which includes plaques inside taken from the now closed synagogue.

(For some additional information, also see IAJGS International Jewish Cemeteries Project - Merthyr Tydfil.

Merthyr Tydfil Databases

Merthyr Tydfil records, in various databases, include the following:

Burials:

Merthyr Tydfil Cemetery, a JCR-UK Hosted Database - see above;

*JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Register - Merthyr Tydfil cemetery (624 records, listed under Wales).

Marriages:

NEW! Merthyr Tydfil Register of Jewish Marriages (1886-1950) (130 records), a JCR-UK Hosted Database on behalf of the Welsh Jewish Cultural Centre, using the information kindly provided by Dr Cai Parry-Jones.

*1851 Anglo Jewry Database (as of the 2016 update)

Individuals in the "1851" database who who were living in Merthyr Tydfil during the 1820s (1 record), 1830s (14 records), 1840s (22 records), 1850s (76 records), 1860s (31 records), 1870s (18 records), 1880s (7 records), 1890s (3 records) and 1900s (2 records).

*These records will also be revealed by a search in the All-UK Database.

Online Articles, Videos and Other Material
relating to the Merthyr Tydfil Jewish Community

on JCR-UK

The Jews of Merthyr Tydfil by Wendy Bellany, reproduced from Shemot (JGSGB), September 2001;
Newspaper Articles relating to the Merthyr Tydfil Jewish Community, 1847 - 2009;
Personal Encounters, reminiscences by of Dora Rees (née Bernstein);
School Registers of Caedraw, Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil from "Provincial Jewry in Victorian Britain" - papers for a conference at University College, London, convened by the Jewish Historical Society of England (JHSE) , prepared by Aubrey Newman - 6 July 1975;
Naturalised Citizens of Merthyr Tydfil
Into the Vortex: South Wales Jewry Before 1914 - paper by Geoffrey Alderman, presented at the above 1975 conference;
How 'Greeners' Came to the Valley by Michael Wallach, Jewish Chronicle Colour Magazine, 1975;
Jewish Heritage Sites in Wales;
Bibliography;
For material relating to the Jewish Cemetery, see above.

on Third Party Websites

Material on the Welsh Jewish Cultural Centre website.
Jewish Merthyr Tydfil - history on Jtrails website

Notable Jewish Connections with Merthyr Tydfil
(prepared with the assistance by Steven Jaffe)

Rev Joshua Abelson (1873-1940), principal of Aria College Portsmouth, minister, and author of books on Jewish mysticism, was born in Merthyr.
Ben Hamilton (1896-1979), born in the Dowlais valley, near Merthyr, a solicitor, was coroner at Merthyr, and in charge of the inquest following the Aberfan coal tip disaster of October 1966, in which 144 children and adults were killed. Aberfan is about five miles south of Merthyr.
Abraham Sherman (1888-1965), who with his brother Harry promoted Sherman Pools Limited (until it was taken over by Littlewoods in 1961), was a major employer and philanthropist in South Wales, lived at Park Lodge, Merthyr Tydfil, adjacent to the synagogue. He served as President of the Merthyr Tydfil Jewish community and a legacy left by him helped maintain the congregation until its closure.
The Merthyr Tydfil synagogue was painted by L. S. Lowry in 1960. The painting was sold for £277,000 in March 2022.
At the turn of the twentieth century, over 100 Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe worked at the steel works at Dowlais (about 2 miles from Merthyr). The decline of the iron industry, and anti-Jewish disturbances at the works in around 1903, led many of the Jewish workers to leave for Canada.

Other Merthyr Tydfil Jewish Institutions & Organisations

Educational & Theological

Hebrew Classes, founded shortly after the establishment of the congregation.^(lxxi)

Welfare Institutions

Board of Guardians, founded by 1900.^(lxxii)
Ladies' Benevolent Society, founded in 1904, at the initiative of Rev. Raffalovitch.^(lxxiii)
Grand Lodge of Israel, founded by 1917.^(lxxiv)
Order Achei Brith and Shield of David, Joseph Prag Lodge No. 24 (later a United Jewish Jewish Friendly Society lodge), founded by 1917.^(lxxv)

Israel, Zionist and Literary Institutions

Chovevei Zion Association, founded by 1896.^(lxxviii)
Jewish Literary and Social Society, founded in 1903,^(lxxix) succeeded by the Zionist and Literary Society, founded by 1919.^(lxxx)
JNF Commission, founded by 1927.^(lxxxi)
Women's Zionist Society, founded by 1945.^(lxxxii)
Mizrachi Association, founded by 1949.^(lxxxiii)

Other Institutions

Chevra Kadisha, probably founded in about 1865, with the opening of the cemetery.^(lxxxvi)
Anglo-Jewish Association, South Wales & Monmouthshire Branch, founded by 1901.^(lxxxvii)
Jewish Naturalisation, founded 1905.^(lxxxviii)
Itinerant Jewish Poor Society, founded by 1911.^(lxxxix)
Jewish Library, founded 1918.^(xc)

Merthyr Tydfil Jewish Population Data
Year	Number	Source

1903	300	The Jewish Year Book 1903/4
1909	250	The Jewish Year Book 1910
1918	400	The Jewish Year Book 1919
1945	175	The Jewish Year Book 1945/6
1949	185	The Jewish Year Book 1950
1950	200	The Jewish Year Book 1951
1951	198	The Jewish Year Book 1952
1956	150	The Jewish Year Book 1957
1957	125	The Jewish Year Book 1958
1958	100	The Jewish Year Book 1959
1959	95	The Jewish Year Book 1960
1961	80	The Jewish Year Book 1962
1962	78	The Jewish Year Book 1963
1964	50	The Jewish Year Book 1965
1965	46	The Jewish Year Book 1966
1966	40	The Jewish Year Book 1967
1970	24	The Jewish Year Book 1971
2001	16	Census 2001 for England and Wales
2011	4	Census 2011 for England and Wales
2021	less than 10	Census 2021 for England and Wales

Notes & Sources
(↵ returns to text above)

(i) The Jews of Merthyr Tydfil by Wendy Bellany, originally published as "A vanished community" in Shemot (JGSGB), volume 9/3 September 2001, ("Bellany's History") p.10. ↵
(ii) "The Jews of Merthyr Tydfil" by Wendy Bellany, published in Shemot (JGSGB), volume 6/3 September 2001, p.12. ↵
(iii) Bellany's History, p.14. ↵
(iv) and (v) Reserved.
(vi) Church Street is the first address given in Jewish Year Books, from 1906/7. The full postal address is provided in Sharman Kadish's Jewish Heritage in Britain and Ireland ("Kadish's Heritage"), p.251. ↵
(vii) Bellany History, p.11 and South Wales Daily News of 16 March 1876. To view additional information (if any) about the architect, hold your cursor over Charles Taylor's name ↵
(viii) Ursula Henriques (ed) Jews of South Wales, 1993 ("Henriques' JSW"), p.56. ↵
(ix) Henriques' JSW, p.56. ↵
(x) and (xi) Reserved.
(xii) Article in The Merthyr Express of 15 January 1955 . ↵
(xiii) Bellany's History, p.14. ↵
(xiv) Article in The South Wales Echo of 18 November 2009. ↵
(xv) Welsh Jewish Cultural Centre website - https://www.jewishheritage.wales. ↵
(xvi) and (xvii) Reserved.
(xviii) Bellany's History, p.11. ↵
(xix) "The Jews of Merthyr Tydfil" by Wendy Bellany, published in Shemot (JGSGB), volumn 6/3 September 2001, p.11. ↵
(xx) Henriques' JSW, p.57 and "The Jews of Merthyr Tydfil" by Wendy Bellany, published in Shemot (JGSGB), volumn 6/3 September 2001, p.12. ↵
(xxi) Henriques' JSW, p.55 and The Jewish Directory for 1874 edited by Asher I. Myers. ↵
(xxii) The Jewish Directory for 1874 edited by Asher I. Myers. ↵
(xxiii) Bellany's History, p.11. ↵
(xxiv) The Jewish Directory for 1874 edited by Asher I. Myers. ↵
(xxv) to (xxvii) Reserved.
(xxviii) Bellany's History, p.11. ↵
(xxix) Jewish Chronicle reports. ↵
(xxx) Jewish Chronicle reports. ↵
(xxxi) Bellany's History, p.12, refers to Rev. Abelson arriving in 1872 (not in online version). He was still in Merthyr in 1902 (as a wedding guest reported in The Merthyr Express of 1 February 1902). ↵
(xxxii) The Jewish Chronicle report of 8 October 1886, p.7. ↵
(xxxiii) and (xxxiv) Reserved.
(xxxv) Michael Jolles's Encyclopaedia of British Jewish Cantors, etc. ("Jolles's Encyclopaedia"), pp.379/80 ↵
(xxxvi) Jewish Chronicle reports. ↵
(xxxvii) Jolles's Encyclopaedia, p. 597. ↵
(xxxviii) Henriques' JSW, p.59. There was also short gaps in Rev. Bloom period with the congregation (in 1904 and 1908), when he served other communities. He was only listed as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1910, serving through 1926, and then as reader and minister from 1927 through 1940. ↵
(xxxix) Although he obtained semicha, he was at the time still generally known as Rev. Raffalovitch. He was the first minister of the congregation to be listed in Jewish Year Books, being listed in the 1903/4 and 1904/5 editions. ↵
(xl) and (xli) Reserved.
(xlii) Rev. Isaac Aarons was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1906/7 through 1914. ↵
(xliii) "Who's Who" of Reuben Lincoln (formerly Rev. Reuben Tribich) in Jewish Year Book 1945/6, although no specific date is given. ↵
(xliv) Rev. Israelstam was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1918 through 1920. ↵
(xlv) Rev. K. Joffé was listed as minister of the congregation in the Jewish Year Book 1945/6. There were no listings in the war years 1941-1945. ↵
(xlvi) Rev. A. Waxman was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1948 through 1951. He was also listed in the 1947 edition as the minister at Llanelli, but this is believed an error and should have been Merthyr. ↵
(xlvii) and (xlviii) Reserved.
(xlix) Rev. A. Cohen was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1952 through 1956. ↵
(l) Rev. M. Fine was listed as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1957 through 1961. ↵
(li) Rev. J. Kibel was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1963 and 1964, although it is possible that the initial was incorrect and it may have been another minister with the surname Kibel ↵
(lii) Rev. S. Greenstein was listed as minister of the congregation in the Jewish Year Book 1965. He was the last minister to be so listed. ↵
(liii) and (liv) Reserved.
(lv) The Jewish Directory for 1874 edited by Asher I. Myers. ↵
(lvi) Where a person was 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 shown as vacant. Initially year books corresponded to the Hebrew year, and thus ran roughly from autumn of one year - the year of publication - until autumn of the next year. From 1909, 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 1919 through 1924, it is assumed that he commenced office in 1918 and continued in office until 1924. 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. Jewish Year Books were not published during World War II subsequent to 1940. There were no Jewish Year Book listings of officers (other than secretary) subsequent to 1956. ↵
(lii) From 1900 until 1940, the hon. secretary was also the registrar for marriages. ↵
(lviii) M. Levinsohn's position was described as hon. chairman. ↵
(lix) The Jewish Directory for 1874 edited by Asher I. Myers. ↵
(lx) Figures have been extracted from the Jewish Year Book immediately following the year shown. ↵
(lxi) 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. ↵
(lxii) to (lxix) Reserved.
(lxx) Merthyr Express report of 2 November 1935. ↵
(lxxi) However it was not listed until Jewish Year Book 1919. ↵
(lxxii) Henriques' JSW, p.60, but it was not listed in Jewish Year Books until 1935 ↵
(lxxiii) Henriques' JSW, p.60 and Jewish Year Book 1904/5. ↵
(lxxiv) First listed in the Jewish Year Book 1918. ↵
(lxxv) First listed in the Jewish Year Book 1918. ↵
(lxxvi) and (lxxvii) Reserved.
(lxxvii) First listed in the Jewish Year Book 1896/7. ↵
(lxxix) Henriques' JSW, p.60 and Jewish Year Book 1903/4. ↵
(lxxx) First listed as such in the Jewish Year Book 1920. ↵
(lxxxi) First listed in the Jewish Year Book 1928. ↵
(lxxxii) First listed in the Jewish Year Book 1945/6. ↵
(lxxxiii) First listed in the Jewish Year Book 1950. ↵
(lxxxiv) and (lxxxv) Reserved.
(lxxxvi) However, it was not listed in Jewish Year Book until 1909. ↵
(lxxxvii) First listed in Jewish Year Book 1902/3. ↵
(lxxxviii) Noted in the Jewish Year Book 1905/6. ↵
(lxxxix) First listed in the Jewish Year Book 1912. ↵
(xc) First listed in the Jewish Year Book 1919. ↵

Jewish Congregations in the former county of Glamorganshire

Jewish Congregations in the former administrative county of Mid Glamorgan

Jewish Congregations in Wales, listed according to current unitary authorities

Jewish Communities & Congregations in Wales home page

Page created: 25 June 2003
Data significantly expanded and notes added: 28 November 2024
Page most recently amended: 6 December 2024

Research by Wendy Bellany and David Shulman
Current formatting by David Shulman

Explanation of Terms | About JCR-UK | JCR-UK home page

Contact JCR-UK Webmaster:
jcr-ukwebmaster@jgsgb.org.uk

Terms and Conditions, Licenses and Restrictions for the use of this website:

This website is owned by JewishGen and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. All material found herein is owned by or licensed to us. You may view, download, and print material from this site only for your own personal use. You may not post material from this site on another website without our consent. You may not transmit or distribute material from this website to others. You may not use this website or information found at this site for any commercial purpose.