Shenley United Jewish Community

Shenley, Hertsmere, Hertfordshire

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congregations throughout the British Isles and Gibraltar, both past and present.
NOTE: We are not the official website of this community's congregation,
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Town of Shenley

The town of Shenley is in the county of Hertfordshire, just to the north of the administrative boundary of Greater London. It is in the borough of Hertsmere, a local government district formed in 1974 and granted borough status in 1977. Prior to 1974, Shenley was part of in the rural district of Elstree (known as the rural district of Barnet from 1894 to 1941) in the county of Hertfordshire.

Shenley Jewish Community

The Jewish community in Shenley is relatively new, the first organised Jewish congregation having been established only in 2001.

Congregation Data⁽ⁱ⁾
Name:	Shenley United Jewish Community (SUJC) (also known as Shenley Synagogue or Shenley United Synagogue)⁽ⁱⁱ⁾
Address:	The Old Chapel, Shenley, Herts. (Until about 2005, services were held in a local primary school, an old age home or a cricket club.)
Current Status:	Active
Date Founded:	The first regular services were held in 2002, in members' homes⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾
Ritual:	Orthodox - Ashkenazi
Affiliation:	A constituent synagogue of the United Synagogue. The Congregation is part of the 5+1 group, consisting of six small United Synagogue communities, five in Hertfordshire and one in Bedfordshire.^(iv) The 5+1 has a intercommunal social programme intended to match those provided by large synagogues, whilst retaining the closeness of smaller communities.
Website:	https://shenleyunited.org/
Rabbinical Teams: (To view a short profile of a minister whose name appears in blue - hold the cursor over his name.)	Rabbi Benjamin Rickman - the Congregation's first (part time) rabbi (prior to 2004)^(v) Rabbi Shmuli Kass (part time) (& Rebbetzen Batsheva Kass) - from 2004 to 2007^(vi) Rabbi Natan Levy (part time) (& Rebbetzen Ariella Levy) - from 2008 until June 2010^(vii) Rabbi Alan Garber (& Rabbetzen Tanya Garber) - from about 2010 until July 2024^(viii) Rabbi Dovi Lebrett (& Rabbetzen Mimi Lebrett) - from September 2024 until the present (November 2024)^(ix)
Membership Data:	National Reports & Surveys^(xi) 2010 & 2016 - listed as having 100 to 199 members (by household)
Charitable Status:	As a constituent of the United Synagogue, the congregation operates within that organisation's registered charity status (registered charity no. 242552).
Registration District:	Hertfordshire^(xii) - Register Office website.
Cemetery Information:	For cemeteries used by the congregation, see Cemeteries of the United Synagogue, of which Bushey Cemetery is only about 6 miles away
Notes & Sources (↵ returns to text above) (i) Unless otherwise stated, all congregational data is based upon information appearing on the congregation's website, accessed between 29 January 2017 and 7 July 2020, which includes a brief history of the congregation. ↵ (ii) The congregation's website, when previously accessed and when last accessed on 12 September 2018, refers to Shenley United Jewish Community. However, each listing in Jewish Year Books (2003-2015) was under the name Shenley Synagogue. ↵ (iii) The Jewish Chronicle report of 5 December 2019. ↵ (iv) The other five congregations are: Potters Bar & Brookmans Park United Synagogue, St Albans United Synagogue, Watford and District Synagogue and Welwyn Garden City Synagogue in Hertfordshire; and Luton United Synagogue in Bedfordshire. ↵ (v) History on the congregation's website, last accessed 7 July 2020. Neither Rabbi Rickman nor any of the congregation's subsequent rabbis were listed in Jewish Year Books. ↵ (vi) Congregation's website. Israel-born Rabbi Kass (1977-2007) died in office from cancer. ↵ (vii) Congregation's website and Jewish Chronicle press reports of 26 September 2008 and 18 March 2010. ↵ (viii) Rabbi Garber's profile on the congregation's website, accessed December 2020, and communication from a member of the congregation, November 2024. ↵ (ix) Community News on The United Synagogue website, accessed November 2024. ↵ (x) Reserved. (xi) Reports on synagogue membership in the United Kingdom, published by or on behalf of 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. ↵ (xii) The former Registration District was Watford, from the formation of Congregation until 1 April 2008. All registers would now be held by the current register office (UK BMD website). ↵

On-line Articles and Other Material
relating to this Congregation

The History of the Shenley United Jewish Community on the congregation's website.
Press Cutting on 2019 dedication service.

Hertsmere Jewish Communities home page

List of United Synagogue Congregations

Jewish Congregations in Hertfordshire

Jewish Congregations in Greater London and its Outskirts

Jewish Communities of England home page

Page created: 19 May 2006
Data significantly expanded and notes first added: 12 September 2018
Page most recently amended: 5 November 2024

Research and formatting by David Shulman

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