Synagogue at RAF Mildenhall

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Mildenhall

Mildenhall is an East Anglian town close to the Fens, with a population of some 10,000. It is situated about 42 miles southwest of Norwich and 23 miles northeast of Cambridge, with Newmarket just 10 miles to the southwest.

Mildenhall was a rural district (formed in 1894) in the county of West Suffolk. In 1974, it merged with neighbouring areas to form the Forest Heath District within the county of Suffolk (the respective counties of West and East Suffolk having merged at the same time). A further merger took place in 2019, when Forest Heath merged with St Edmundsbury to become the District of West Suffolk, administered from Bury St. Edmunds, still within the county of Suffolk.

RAF Mildenhall is the largest RAF station and commenced operations in 1934. Despite its status as an RAF station, since 1950, it has primarily supported US Air Force operations.

 

Synagogue at RAF Mildenhall
Formation:	Flight Lieut. Julian Misell, was the founder and hon. president of the synagogue in about 1944.(ii)
Transfer to the US Air Force:	Following the takeover of much of Mildenhall Station by the US Air Force, in 1952 the synagogue at RAF Mildenhall was transferred to RAF Stafford. However, Jewish life continued at the Mildenhall base under the auspices of US Air Force chaplains who were based there.
US Air Force Chaplains:	The chaplains included: Colonel Rabbi Sydney Hoffman, senior US Forces Jewish chaplain in Britain, who was based at Mildenhall and Alconbury USAF bases in the early 1980s. Rabbi Irvin S Ehrlich, from Georgia, USA, Jewish chaplain to all American military personnel stationed in the UK, who held the rank of Major and was based at Mildenhall in the mid 1980s. By that time Friday night services were held in a multi faith room, rather than a designated synagogue. The room contained a small portable ark with one sefer torah. Rabbi Ehrlich was a graduate of the Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati. His tour of duty in the UK ended in May 1985.(v)  Rabbi Brett Oxman, from about 1996 until 1999. From California, Rabbi Oxman was a trained paratrooper. He held regular Shabbat services at the Mildenhall base which were attended by about 30 people. In 1999 he was transferred to Denver, Colorado.(vi) (JC 30.7.99)
Registration District (BDM):	Suffolk, since 2 November 2010(vii) -  Link to Register Office Website.
Notes & Sources (↵ returns to text above) (i) Reserved. (ii) The Jewish Chronicle report of 4 December 1945. ↵ (iii) and (iv) Reserved. (v) The Jewish Chronicle report of 2 August 1985. ↵ (vi) The Jewish Chronicle report of 30 July 1999. ↵ (vii) Previous registration districts: Mildenhall from 1 July 1837 to 1 July 1938; Newmarket from 1 July 1938 to 1 April 1989; and Bury St. Edmunds from 1 April 1989 to 2 November 2010. Any registers would now be held by the current register office. ↵