Congregation Data
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Name:
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Norwich Hebrew Congregation
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Address:
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3 Earlham Road, Norwich NR2 3RA
Initially a pre-fabricated
synagogue was erected on the site, in use from 1948.
The Communal Hall, with a flat above to house the
congregation's minister, was built in 1951 and consecrated by then Chief Rabbi, Dr Israel Brodie.
Later plans were prepared and building commenced on a permanent
synagogue, which was completed in 1968
and consecrated on 16 October 1969 by the then Chief Rabbi, Dr Immanuel Jacobovitz.(iii)
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Previous Synagogue:
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Synagogue Street (previously known as St. Faiths Lane), Mountergate, Norwich
The site was purchased for £150 and the foundation stone for this beautiful synagogue, situated in St Faiths Lane on the corner of a small street which was later renamed Synagogue Street,
was laid on 26 June 1848 by the congregation's president Joel Fox and the services
were conducted by Rev. Simon Caro.
The synagogue was consecrated on 6 September 1849
by Chief Rabbi Dr. N. Adler.(iv)
In 1942, the synagogue was tragically destroyed in
a German air raid.
Thereafter, services were held temporarily in the Spiritualist Church hall, Chapel Field North, Theatre Street,
Norwich, until the congregation move to Earham Road.(v)
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Earlier Synagogues:
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From
25 July 1828 to 1848, the synagogue was in Tombland Alley
(opposite Norwich Cathedral),(viii) the restored seventeenth
century building thought to have housed the synagogue, at 2 Tombland
Alley, Norwich NR3 1HL,(ix) is a Grade II Listed Building (number 1210840)
designated on 5 June 1972.
View description
on Historic England website.
Previously, the following had been reported as the
location of the synagogue:
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A large room in a house in
Ber Street, in the district of St. John De Sepulchre
(where the first and oldest cemetery was situated).(x)
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A room in Gowing's Court, St Stephen’s Street.(xi)
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In 1746, the synagogue was situated to the southwest of
Norwich Castle on an unmarked lane running from Hog Hill
to Cheese and Hay Market. This was clearly marked as
"The Jews New Synagogue and Schools" on a 1746 map of
Norwich by Francis Blomefield.(xii)
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Formation:
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The dates frequently viewed for the founding of the
congregation are 1848 (the building of the St. Faiths
Lane synagogue) or 1828 (the opening of the Tombland
Abbey synagogue), although organised congregations met
in Norwich prior to those dates, as indicated above. Other dates given are 1813 (from
which continuous records of the Norwich community
appear to date(xv))
and
1823/1842.(xvi)
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Status:
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Active. The congregation is the
last remaining Orthodox-based congregation in East Anglia.
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Ritual:
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There services were originally
all Ashkenazi Orthodox / Traditional
However,
from at least 2022 an egalitarian service was held at the synagogue on one Shabbat each month,
which has seen a significant
increase in attendance.(xvii)
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Affiliation:
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The congregation is an
unaffiliated provincial congregation under the aegis of the Chief Rabbi.
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Website:
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https://www.norwichsynagogue.org.uk/
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Ministers: (To view a short profile
of a minister whose name appears in blue - hold
the cursor over the name.)
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Rev. Michael Solomon Alexander
- minister / reader in 1821.(xviii)
Rev. Lyon Mordecai
- shochet from 1823 possibly until 1844.(xix)
Rev. Simon Caro
- minister and shochet from 1840 until 1870.(xx)
Rev. Lazarus Jacob Slevansky
- minister and shochet from about 1872 until about 1874.(xxi)
Rev. Heim Neumann
- minister from 1874 until about 1888.(xxii)
Rev. Louis Harrison
- minister from about 1887 until at least 1890.(xxiii)
Rev. Max Schulman
- minister briefly from about 1893.(xxiv)
Rev. Simon Joseph
- minister and shochet from about 1895 until about 1909.(xxv)
Rev. Hermann Abrahams
- minister from 1910 until about 1915.(xxvi)
Rev. Alter Behrman
- minister from about 1915 until about 1917.(xxviii)
Rev. Nathan Isaacs
- minister from about 1917 until about 1919.(xxix)
Rev. Philip Freedman
- minister from about 1919 until about 1920.(xxx)
Rev. Maurice Isaac Fabritz
- minister from 1921 until 1950.(xxxii)
Rev. Baruch Ben-Zion Greenberg
- minister from 1950 until 1955.(xxxiii)
Rev. Harold Lerner
- minister from 1955 until 1959.(xxxvi)
Rabbi Dr. Alfred Willman
- minister from 1959 until 1964.(xxxvii)
Rev. Maurice Joseph Golomb
- minister from 1964 until 1967.(xxxviii)
Mr. Sam Stone
- lay reader from 1967 until 1968.(xl)
Rev. Harold Silman
- lay reader / minister from 1968 until 1970.(xli)
Rev. Harry Levine
- lay reader / minister from 1971 until 1983.(xlii)
Mr. Cecil Jackson
- lay reader from 1983 until 1987.(xliv)
Mr. Menachem Friedman
- lay reader / minister from April 1987 until 1993.(xlv)
Rev. Mark Daniels
- lay reader / minister from 1993 until August 1997.(xlvi)
Rev. Steven Burns
- lay reader / minister from December 1997 until June 1998.(xlviii)
Rev. Alex Bennett
- lay reader / minister from 2000 until 2013.(xlix)
Rev. Daniel Rosenthal
- minister from 2013 until present (May 2023).(l)
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Lay Officers of the
Congregation:
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Generally, unless otherwise stated, data
on lay officers has been extracted from the following sources:
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Years 1840-1896 and
1940-1945 - Levine's History, pp.43/5.
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Years 1896-1940 and
1945-1960 - from listings in Jewish Year Books (first published 1896/7)
and (except Secretaries from 1897-1913) Levine's History, pp.44/6.(lviii)
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Years 1960-1984 and
1997-2012 - from listings in Jewish Year Books
and Leveton's History, pp.108/9.
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Years 1984-1997 and
2012-2020 - from Leveton's History, pp. 108/9.
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Years 2020-2023 - from
Maureen Leveton.
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Presidents
c.1828-1835
- Barnett Crawcour(lx)
1840-1842
- Joel Fox
1842-1844
- Myers Levine
1844-1850
- Joel Fox(lxi)
1850-1851
- Myers Levine
1851-1852
- Joel Fox
1851-1854
- Moses Kisch
1854-1855
- Abraham Keysor
1855-1856
- Emanuel Hyams
1856-1857
- Maurice Joseph
1857-1858
- Israel Bloch
1858-1859
- Philip Cohen
1859-1860
- Maurice Joseph
1860-1863
- Israel Bloch
1863-1864
- Joel Fox
1864-1883
- Israel Bloch(lxii)
1884-1887
- Philip Haldinstein
1887-1919
- Alfred Isaac Haldinstein, JP
1919-1921
- Samuel H. Harrison
1921-1924
- Louis Ecker
1924-1926
- Max Brenner
1926-1928
- Ellis Jacobs
1928-1929
- Archie King
1929-1931
- Dan Benjamin
1931-1932
- Louis Ecker
1932-1934
- Adolph H. Saxton
1934-1935
- Louis Ecker
1935-1937
- Max Brenner
1937-1941
- Louis Ecker
1941-1951
- Emanuel Solomon
1951-1954
- Cyril D. Leveton
1954-1955
- Emanuel Solomon
1955-1957
- Teddy F. Keller
1957-1960
- Cyril D. Leveton
1960-1963
- Henry Levine
1963-1966
- Cyril D. Leveton
1966-1969
- Henry Levine
1969-1972
- Cyril D. Leveton
1972-1975
- Cyril Caplan
1975-1978
- Cyril D. Leveton
1978-1981
- Jack Stern
1981-1984
- Cyril Caplan
1984-1986
- vacant
1986-1989
- Jack Stern
1989-1990
- Dr. A. Woolstone
1990-1993
- Jack Stern
1993-1994
- Peter Cummin
1994-1997
- Jack Stern
1997-2000
- Mrs. Ethel Imber-Lithman
2000-2003
- Victor Bishop
2003-2006
- Barrie Mencher
2006-2009
- Clive Roffe
2009-2012
- Peter Prinsley
2012-2015
- Maureen Leveton
2015-2018
- Marian Prinsley
2018-2021
- Barry Leveton
2021-2023
- John Cadywould
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Treasurers(lxiv)
1840-1842
- Myers Levine
1842-1844
- Simon Aaron
1844-1850
- Myers Levine
1850-1852
- Abraham Keysor
1852-1855
- Joel Fox & Daniel Soman
1855-1856
- Israel Bloch
1856-1857
- Philip Cohen
1857-1858
- Philip Cohen & Emanuel Hyams
1858-1859
- Joseph Griffenberg
1859-1860
- Joel Fox & Joseph Griffenberg
1860-1861
- Philip Cohen & Joseph Griffenberg
1861-1863
- Daniel Soman
1863-1887
- Benjamin Samuel
1887-1897
- Jacob Caro
1897-1899
- S. Symons
1899-1902
- Samuel H. Harrison
1902-1903
- J. Fredman
1902-1906
- Walter Joseph
1906-1917
- Louis Ecker
1917-1918
- Samuel H. Harrison
1918-1919
- David Braham
1919-1920
- Isaac Leveton
1920-1921
- Max Brenner
1921-1923
- Ellis Jacobs
1923-1924
- Adolph H. Saxton
1924-1926
- H. Goodhall
1926-1928
- Archie King
1928-1929
- Dan Benjamin
1929-1931
- Max Brenner
1931-1934
- H. Goodhall
1934-1935
- George Haldinstein
Vice Presidents (1935-1938)
1935-1936
- S.H. Levine
1936-1937
- J. Phillips
1937-1938
- Hyman Simons
Treasurers (cont.)(lxiv)
1938-1939
- Hyman Simons
1939-1940
- Louis Levine
1940-1941
- Mr. Daniels
1941-1945
- George Haldinstein
1945-1952
- Ronald Ecker
1952-1953
- Teddy F. Keller
1953-1954
- L.E. Goodman, JP
1954-1957
- Louis Burke
1957-1960
- Henry Levine
1960-1962
- Jack Stern
1962-1963
- Louis Burke
1963-1964
- Abe Cohen
1964-1967
- Sam Stone
1967-1999
- Victor Bishop(lxv)
1999-2018
- Nick Simons
2018-2023
- Peter Prinsley
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Vice Presidents (from 1960)
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1960-1962
- Jack Stern
1962-1963
- Louis Burke
1963-1964
- Abe Cohen
1964-1969
- Sam Stone
1975-1978
- Jack Stern
1978-1980
- Cyril Caplan
1981-1985
- Cecil Jackson
1987-1988
- Victor Bishop
1989-1990
- Jack Stern
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1990-1992
- Dr. A. Woolstone
1992-1993
- Shaoul Salmon
1994-1995
- Derek Gillman
1995-1996
- Desmond Levine
1996-1997
- Mrs. Ethel Imber-Lithman
1997-2001
- Jack Stern
2001-2003
- Mrs. Ethel Imber-Lithman
2009-2018
- Clive Roffe
2018-2023
- Marian Prinsley
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Secretaries &
Hon Secretaries
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1840-1842
- Myers Levine
1842-1844
- Simon Aaron
1844-1849
- Myers Levine
1849-1850
- Moses Kisch
1850-1863
- Simon Caro
1863-1887
- Benjamin Samuel
1887-1898
- Jacob Caro
1898-1901
- S. Symons
1901-1903
- Samuel H. Harrison
1903-1904
- J. Fredman
1904-1907
- Walter Joseph
1906-1913
- Louis Ecker
1913-1918
- Dan Benjamin
1918-1920
- Ellis Jacobs
1920-1925
- Cyril D. Leveton
1922-1932
- Edward Ecker
1932-1934
- Alfred B. Rosen
1934-1936
- I. Phillips
1936-1937
- Ronald Solomon
1937-1938
- Ronald Solomon & G. Levy
1938-1939
- Ronald Solomon
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1939-1940
- M. Barnett
1940-1945
- Miss Rose Ecker
1945-1946
- Mrs. K. Trafford
1946-1951
- Lionel Saxton
1951-1961
- Victor N. Brenner
1961-1962
- Louis Burke
1962-1966
- Cyril Caplan & Joan Goodman
1966-1969
- Cyril Caplan
1969-1972
- Cyril Caplan & Desmond Levine
1972-1979
- Desmond Levine
1979-1989
- Simon Goodman
1988-1989
- Jack Griffith
1989-1990
- Mark Green
1990-1995
- Jack Griffith
1995-1997
- Bryan Levy
1997-1999
- Jack Griffith
1999-2006
- Peter Prinsley, FRICS
2006-2010
- George Wilson
2010-2011
- M. Barrie Mencher
2011-2023
- Fay Candywould
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Communal Journals:(lxx)
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The Brochure founded in the
late 1940's, or even earlier, was produced by Norwich Zionist and Social Society (later known as Norwich Israel and Social Society).
The Synagogue
Newsletter was first produced in 1985.
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Membership Data:
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General
1845 - 7 ba'alai batim and 3 seatholders (Chief
Rabbi's Questionnaire)
Number of Seatholders - Board of Deputies Returns(lxxi)
1852 |
1860 |
1870 |
1880 |
1890 |
30 |
30 |
15 |
10 |
21 |
Number of Members - as reported by
Jewish Year Books
1896 |
1897 |
1900 |
1917 |
1921 |
10 seatholders |
7 seatholders & 16 members |
14 seatholders & 17 members |
37 members |
47 members |
Reports & Survey(lxxii)
1977 - 30 male (or household) members and
10 female members
1983 - 39 male (or household) members and
9 female members
1990 - 70 members (comprising
47 households, 4 individual male and 19 individual female members)
1996 - 71 members (comprising
37 households, 6 individual male and 28 individual female members)
2010 & 2016 - listed as having 50
to 99 members (by household)
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Charitable Status:
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The congregation is a registered charity (no.
1187450),
registered on
20 January 2020 (standard CIO registration), with an
alternative working name of Norwich Jewish Community and
Heritage Centre.
It replaced an earlier registration (no.
205449)
registered on 13 April 1965 (standard registration).
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Cemetery Information:
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For details of the cemeteries used by the congregation, see
Norwish Cemetery Information)
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