the former

Bootle Synagogue

& Jewish Community

Bootle, Sefton, Merseyside

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Town of Bootle

Bootle, with a population of about 77,000, is situated just to the north of Liverpool in the North West of England. Until 1974, it was a county borough in the county of Lancashire, when it was merged with the urban district of Crosby and the county borough of Southport to form the metropolitan borough of Sefton in the county of Merseyside. In 1986, Sefton became a unitary authority, when the metropolitan county of Merseyside lost its administrative status, becoming purely a ceremonial county.

Bootle Jewish Community

Bootle was over four miles to the north of the nearest large Jewish congregations and kosher shops and facilities in Liverpool. However, Jews living in Bootle were initially served by the Fountains Road Synagogue (founded 1887), in the neighbouring district of Kirkdale.⁽ⁱⁱ⁾ Although an organised congregation was not formally established in the town until the early 1930's, there were reports of minyanim in Bootle in the years shortly following World War I.⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾ During World War II, the Bootle docks and industry made Bootle the target for heavy bombing and the town was devastated and with it came the demise of the Bootle congregation. Immediately after the war, the congregation re-establish itself some four miles further to the north in Crosby and Waterloo.^(iv)

Congregation Data
Name:	Bootle Hebrew Congregation
Address:	358 Stanley Road, Bootle.^(vii)
Date Formed:	Probably in 1932.^(viii)
Closure:	The congregation closed during World War II, sometime after 1941^(ix) as a result of the severe damage suffered by Bootle from heavy German bombing and diminishing membership. Immediately after the war, the congregation re-established further to the north as the Crosby and Waterloo Synagogue.
Ritual:	Ashkenazi Orthodox.
Affiliation:	The congregation was unaffiliated but would probably have been under the aegis of the Chief Rabbi.
Ministers:	There is no knowledge of the congregation ever employing a resident minister, either full or part time.
Lay Officers:	Generally the dates given below are approximate, based upon Jewish Chronicle reports and Jewish Year Book listings.
	Presidents 1932-1933 - B. Stern^(xiii) 1933-1935 - J. Bernstein^(xiv) 1935-1938 - M. Goodman^(xv) 1938-1941 - J. Bernstein^(xvi) Gabbai 1932-1939 - A. Berg ^(xix) Hon. Reader 1935-1939 - L. Berg^(xx)	Treasurers 1932-1933 - B. Heller^(xxiii) 1933-1935 - M. Benjamin^(xxiv) 1935-1936 - B. Heller^(xxv) 1937-1939 - H. Mentel^(xxvi) Hon. Secretaries 1932-1933 - L. Berg^(xxix) 1933-1940 - P. Sunderland^(xxx)
Registration District (BMD):	Sefton (since 1 July 2011)^(xxxi) - Link to Register Office Website.
Cemetery Data:	There is no Jewish cemetery in Bootle. However, Liverpool, with a number of Jewish cemeteries is closeby.

Online Articles and Other Material
relating to the Bootle Jewish Community

on JCR-UK

Selected Press Reports relating to the Bootle Jewish Community.

Notable Jewish Connections with Bootle

Dr Israel Harris JP (d.1957), Labour councillor, was the only known Jewish Mayor of Bootle, in 1956-1957.^(xxxvi)
Elaine Feinstein nee Cooklin (1930-2019), poet, novelist, short-story writer, playwright, biographer and translator, often on Jewish themes, was born in Bootle.

Other Bootle Jewish Institutions & Organisations

Educational & Theological

Bootle Hebrew & Religious Classes ^(xxxvii)

Other Institutions & Organisations

Bootle Jewish Social Club (founded by 1918),^(xxxviii) still active in 1922.

Notes & Sources
(↵ returns to text above)

(i) Reserved.
(ii) Jewish Chronicle report of 21 February 1890. ↵
(iii) Jewish Chronicle reports of 12 May 1916 and 22 April 1921 refer to a separate "Bootle minyan" in published charity subscription lists. ↵
(iv) Jewish Chronicle report of 12 November 1976. ↵
(v) and (vi) Reserved.
(vii) Jewish Chronicle reports of 21 October 1932 and 1 January 1937 refer to this address. No address was ever listed in Jewish Year Books. ↵
(viii) The first mention of the congregation in the Jewish Chronicle was a report of 21 October 1932 referring to the high holy days services. The congregation was first listed in the Jewish Year Book 1934. ↵
(ix) Jewish Chronicle report of 7 February 1941. ↵
(x) to (xii)
(xiii) B. Stern was listed as president in October 1932 (Jewish Chronicle report of 21 October 1932). ↵
(xiv) J. Bernstein was initially listed as president in the Jewish Year Books 1934 through 1936, although the latest listing may be an error in light of Jewish Chronicle reports - see below). J. Bernstein would subsequently serve as president of the Crosby and Waterloo Synagogue in the 1950s. ↵
(xv) M. Goodman was elected as president in January 1936 and January 1937 (Jewish Chronicle reports of 10 January 1936 and 1 January 1937) and since, according to the January 1936 report, he was already president, his term of office must have commenced in at least 1935. He is also listed as president of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1937 and 1939. M. Goodman would subsequently serve as the first president of the Crosby and Waterloo Synagogue, in the 1940s. ↵
(xvi) J. Bernstein was elected for a second term as president in 1938 (Jewish Chronicle report of 8 July 1938) and was still president according to a Jewish Chronicle report of 2 February 1941. He was also listed as president in the Jewish Year Books 1939 and 1940. See also note (xiv) above. ↵
(xvii) and (xviii)
(xix) A. Berg was elected as gabbai at all reported meetings from 1932 through 1938 (see press reports). The post of gabbai was not listed in Jewish Year Books, however A. Berg was listed as vice-president of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1937 and 1938. ↵
(xx) L. Berg was elected as hon. reader at the 1936, 1937 and 1938 annual meetings (see press reports). The post of hon. reader was not listed in Jewish Year Books. ↵
(xxi) and (xxii)
(xxiii) B. Heller was initially listed as treasurer in October 1932 (Jewish Chronicle report of 21 October 1932). ↵
(xxiv) M. Benjamin was listed as treasurer in the Jewish Year Books 1934 through 1936, although the 1935 and 1935 listings may be an error in light of Jewish Chronicle reports - see below). There is no other reference to him. ↵
(xxv) B. Heller was again elected as treasurer in January 1936 (Jewish Chronicle report of 10 January 1936) and since, according to the January 1936 report, he was thanked as an outgoing officer, it appears that he commenced serving as treasurer in at least 1935. He was however not listed as treasurer of the congregation in Jewish Year Books until 1937 (through 1940, which appears to be an error, based upon Jewish Chronicle reports - see below). ↵
(xxvi) H. Mentel was elected as treasurer in 1937 and 1938 (Jewish Chronicle reports of 1 January 1937 and 8 July 1938). H. Mentel would subsequently serve as treasurer of the Crosby and Waterloo Synagogue. (B. Heller was actually listed as treasurer in Jewish Year Books 1937 to 1939, but the latter listings appear to be an error.) ↵
(xxvii) and (xxviii)
(xxix) L. Berg was listed as hon. secretary in October 1932 (Jewish Chronicle report of 21 October 1932). ↵
(xxx) P. Sunderland was listed as hon. secretary in Jewish Year Books 1934 through 1940. (There are also Jewish Chronicle reports of his election as hon. secretary at the 1936, 1937 and 1938 annual meetings - see press reports). ↵
(xxxi) Previous registration districts: West Derby from 1 July 1837; Bootle from 1 October 1934; and Sefton South from 1 April 1980 to 1 July 2011. Any registers would now be held by the current register office. ↵
(xxxii) to (xxxv)
(xxxvi) Jewish Chronicle obituary of 13 December 1957. ↵
(xxxvii) Jewish Chronicle report of 22 May 1936 refers to Rev. Leslie Hardman as headmaster of the classes, while acting as a minister in Liverpool. ↵
(xxxviii) Jewish Chronicle obituary of 15 November 1918. ↵

Sefton Jewish Community home page

Jewish Congregations in Merseyside

Jewish Communities of England home page

Page created: 22 August 2005
Data significantly expanded and notes first added: 3 August 2021
Latest revision or update: 4 August 2021

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