the former

Abertillery Hebrew Congregation

and Jewish Community

Abertillery, Blaneau Gwent, South Wales

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congregations throughout the British Isles and Gibraltar, both past and present.

Town of Abertillery

Abertillery is a town in the Welsh Valleys with a population of about 18,000. It is located at the junction of the river Tillery and the river Ebbw Fach, approximately 40 miles north of Cardiff, 8 miles south of Brynmawr and 17 miles east of Merthyr Tydfil.

Abertillery formed the urban district of Abertillery in the then county of Monmouthshire (which in many instances was then considered part of England and not Wales). From 1974 until 1996, it was part of the district of Blaenau Gwent in the new county of Gwent. In 1996, Gwent was abolished as an administrative county, and the district became the county borough of Blaenau Gwent - a unitary authority (within the ceremonial, or preserved, county of Gwent).

The Jewish Community

There was a small Jewish community in Abertillery during the first part of the twentieth century.

Congregation Data
Name:	Abertillery Hebrew Congregation It would appear that at some stage (at least in and about 1916) the congregation was known as the Abertillery and Newbridge United Hebrew Congregation.⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾
Address:	2 Newall Street, Abertillery.^(iv) A new synagogue, with capacity for 100 worshippers, was built in 1910/11 on a site given by Joseph Simons, the foundation stone being laid in November 1910.^(v) Prior to the construction of the synagogue, the congregation's address was also in Newall street.^(vi)
Formation:	The congregation was formed in the 1890s, probably about 1895, although the first known press references to it was in 1902.^(vii)
Closure:	The congregation had ceased functioning by the 1920s, although it did not formally close until about 1929.^(viii)
Ritual:	Ashkenazi Orthodox
Affiliation:	The congregation was an unaffiliated congregation under the aegis of the Chief Rabbi.
Readers and Shochets: (To view a short profile of a reader whose name appears in blue - hold the cursor over the name.)	Rev. Daniel Caplan - in about the 1890s/early 1900s.^(xii) Rev. R. Cohen - from at least 1901 until about 1904.^(xiii) Rev. Shmuel Gerstenfeld - in about 1904.^(xiv) Rev. S. Kahn - from about 1905 until about 1908.^(xv) Rev. Isaac Domnitz - from 1908 until about 1909.^(xviii) Rev. Abraham Snadow - from 1909 until 1910.^(xix) Rev. D. Hornstein - from 1910 until not later than 1912.^(xx) Rev. Abraham Opolion - from about 1914 until no later than 1916.^(xxi)
Lay Officers:	Unless otherwise stated, the following data on lay officers has been extracted from listings in Jewish Year Book^(xxv)
	Presidents during 1890s - Hermann Harris^(xxvi) 1904-1906 - B.J. Simons 1906-1929 - Joseph Simons^(xxvii) Treasurers 1904-1905 - D. Harris^(xxviii) 1905-1909 - no data 1909-1911 - D. Harris^(xxviii) 1911-1912 - J. Falkman 1912-1913 - H. Bloom 1913-1914 - J. Falkman from 1914 - P. Harris^(xxix)	Vice Presidents 1903-1904 - Joseph Simons 1905-1909 - D. Harris Secretaries & Hon Secretaries 1903-1904 - G. Solomon 1904-1909 - G.J. Ballin^(xxxii) 1909-1912 - Harry Harris 1912-1914 - L. Fletcher 1914-1915 - Dr. R. Davis from 1915 - Harry Harris^(xxxiii)
Membership Data:	1916 - 12 seatholders^(xxxiv)
Registration District:	Blaenau Gwent, since 1 April 1974^(xxxv) - Link to Register Office website
Cemetery Information:	There is no Jewish cemetery in Abertillery, the closest being in Brynmawr, opened in 1920, which was governed by a joint board, the Brynmawr and District Jewish Burial Board, which included residents from the other local Jewish communities. There is also a Jewish cemetery at Merthyr Tydfil.

Online Articles, and Other Material
relating to the Abertillery Jewish Community

on JCR-UK

Press Reports relating to the Abertillery Jewish Community, compiled by Harold Pollins.
Bibliography.

Other Abertillery Jewish Institutions & Organisations

Educational & Theological

Hebrew and Religious Classes - Classes at the synagogue in Newell Street.

Number of Pupil:^(xl) Year 1906 1910 1911 1912

boys 14 16 26 15

girls 9 6 14 10

total 23 25 40 25

Other Institutions

Brynmawr and Abertillery Zionist Association, founded in 1900 as a branch of English Zionist Association.^(xli)
Brecon & Monmouthshire Ahm Israel Branch of the Jewish Territorial Organisation (the ITO), founded by 1906.^(xlii)
Abertillery Literary and Debating Society, founded by 1908.^(xliii)
Order Achei Brith - Louis Samuel Lodge No. 49, founded in 1912.^(xliv)

Abertillery Jewish Population Data
Year	Number	Source
1906	60	The Jewish Year Book 1906/7
1909	80	The Jewish Year Book 1910
1911	100	The Jewish Year Book 1912
Click HERE to view Jewish population figures for the whole of Blaenau Gwent from UK Censuses since 2001.

Notes & Sources
(↵ returns to text above)

(i) to (iii) Reserved.
(iii) The Jewish Chronicle of 2 June 1916. Newbridge lies six miles to the south of Abertillery. ↵
(iv) This was the address listed in Jewish Year Books from 1911. ↵
(v) The Jewish Chronicle report of 25 November 1910. ↵
(vi) Jewish Year Books from 1906/7 (the first to include an address for the congregation), gave Newall Street as the address. It is unclear whether this the same sight as that on which the new synagogue was built in 1910. ↵
(vii) The congregation was first listed in Jewish Year Book 1902/3. However, The Jewish Chronicle report of 28 May 1905 made reference to the congregation's previous ten years and the report of 21 June 1901 made reference to the congregation's shochet. ↵
(viii) The congregation was last listed in the Jewish Year Book 1938, although the last listing of officers was in the 1935 edition and no changes in officers were registered after 1916. In The Jewish Chronicle of 4 January 1929, there was a reference to the congregation, but the long standing president died later that year, and the congregation probably died with him. The Jewish Chronicle of 14 March 1952 referred to the congregation as defunct, but this was clearly long after it happened. ↵
(ix) to (xi) Reserved.
(xii) The Jewish Chronicle report of 12 July 1901 refers to Rev. Caplan as being formerly of Abertillery. ↵
(xiii) Rev. Cohen was referred to (as Rev. M. Cohen) in a report in The Jewish Chronicle of 21 June 1901. He is later (in The Jewish Chronicle reports of 9 October 1903 and 18 March 1904) referred to as Rev. M. Cohen of Abertillery. ↵
(xiv) Biography previously online. ↵
(xv) The Jewish Chronicle of 20 January 1905 reported on Rev. Kahn's appointment. His successor was appointed in 1908. He was listed as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1906/7 and 1909. ↵
(xvi) and (xvii) Reserved.
(xviii) The Jewish Chronicle of 31 July 1908 reported on Rev. Domnitz's appointment. His successor was appointed in 1909. He was not listed in Jewish Year Books with regard to this congregation. ↵
(xix) Rev. Snadow was listed as reader of the congregation in the Jewish Year Book 1910. The Jewish Chronicle on 3 September 1909 reported his appointment and on 27 May 1910 and 10 June 1910 it reported his resignation and departure. ↵
(xx) The Jewish Chronicle of 10 June 1910 reported on Rev. Hornstein's appointment. He appears to have left by 1912 as the congregation was advertising for a shochet and teacher in June 1912. He was listed as reader in Jewish Year Books 1912 through 1914. ↵
(xxi) Rev. Opolian was first listed as reader of the congregation in the Jewish Year Book 1915 and had moved to his next post by 1916. (He actually continued to be listed in the year book at Abertillery until the 1935 edition, a clear error.) ↵
(xxii) to (xxiv) Reserved.
(xxv) Although Jewish Year Books continued to list officers of this congregation until 1935, it is clear that the congregation had become defunct some years earlier. Indeed from 1916 through 1935, the listings of the minister and officers of the congregation were identical for each year, a clear indication that the editors of the year book had ceased to receive updates from the community (to the extent it may have existed). Accordingly such data is totally unreliable. As regards earlier years, where a person was first listed in a year book as holding a particular office, it has been assumed that (unless otherwise stated) 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 1905/6 through 1909, it is assumed that he commenced office in 1905 and continued in office until 1909. 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. ↵
(xxvi) The Jewish Chronicle of 28 May 1905, reported that, during the previous ten years, Hermann Harris had served the congregation as president for three years. ↵
(xxvii) J. Simons was listed as president of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1906/7 through 1935. However, the last press report that referred to the congregation was in 1929, which also mentioned J. Simons (The Jewish Chronicle of 4 January 1929), and he appears to have died later that year (The Jewish Chronicle of 25 July 1929 reported on the consecration of his tombstone). ↵
(xxviii) D. Harris was listed as treasurer of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1904/5, 1910 and 1911 (he was listed as vice president in the intervening years) and The Jewish Chronicle of 28 May 1905 and 25 November 1910 referred to him as treasurer. ↵
(xxix) P. Harris was listed as treasurer of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1915 through 1935. However, he would have ceased serving many years earlier and there is no reference to him in any of the extracted press reports. Accordingly, it is unknown as to when he ceased holding office. ↵
(xxx) and (xxxi) Reserved.
(xxxii) G.J. Ballin of Blaina was listed as treasurer of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1904/5 through 1909 (although the 1904/5 edition gives his name as I. Ballin). He is also referred to as treasurer in The Jewish Chronicle of 28 May 1905. He also served as an officers at the neighbouring Brynmawr Hebrew Congregation. ↵
(xxxiii) Harry Harris was listed as hon. secretary of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1916 through 1935. However, he would probably have ceased serving many years earlier and there is no reference to him as secretary in any of the extracted press reports. Accordingly, it is unknown as to when he ceased holding office. ↵
(xxxiv) The Jewish Chronicle of 7 July 1916. ↵
(xxxv) Previous Registration Districts: Abergavenny from 1 July 1837 to 1 July 1861; and Bedwellty from 1 July 1861 to 1 April 1974. All registers would now be held by the current office. ↵
(xxxvi) to (xxxix) Reserved.
(xl) Extracted from the relevant Jewish Year Books. ↵
(xli) Founded as the Brynmawr Zionist Association in 1900 (report in The Jewish Chronicle of 3 January 1902). Had adopted the name with Abertillery by 1902 (reported in The Jewish Chronicle of 8 August 1902). ↵
(xlii) Meeting reported in The Jewish Chronicle of 31 August 1906. ↵
(xliii) An inter-society debate in which the society participated was reported in The Jewish Chronicle of 27 March 1908. ↵
(xliv) The Jewish Chronicle reports of 15 March 1912 and 2 October 1912. ↵

Former Jewish Communities in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent home page

Jewish Congregations in the historic county of Monmouthshire

Jewish Congregations in the former administrative county of Gwent

Jewish Congregations in Wales, listed according to current unitary authorities

Jewish Communities & Congregations in Wales home page
(including online articles)

Page created: 25 August 2005
Data significantly expanded and notes added: 10 November 2024
Page most recently amended: 8 December 2024

Research and formatting by David Shulman

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