Machzikei Hadass Synagogue

Name

Machzikei Hadass Synagogue

Former Address:

18 Rathmore Villas, at the rear of 77 Terenure Road North, Dublin 6,⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾ from about 1994 until closure of the congregation.

(In 2025, the Dublin Hebrew Congregation (DHC) announced the proposed sale and closure of its synagogue at 32a Rathfarnham Road, and it was understood that the DHC would relocate to the Rathmore Villas premises.)
The Machzikei Hadass was previously at 22 Terenure Road North, from 1968 until about 1994.^(iv)

Date Formed:

Opened in 1968,^(v) as the successor to St. Kevin's Parade Synagogue, following the closure of the synagogue in St. Kevin's Parade. The congregation can be considered as the relocated continuation of the St. Kevin's Parade congregation.

A marble plaque commemorating the move to Terenure can be seen at the entrance, beside the original foundation plaque. The aron kodesh is the original one from the St. Kevin’s Parade synagogue.

On 10 December 1983, the congregation celebrated the centenary of the founding of the St. Kevin's Parade Synagogue with the Chief Rabbi of Ireland, Dr David Rosen, and the late Judge Wine in the attendance and over 100 people in the synagogue.^(vi)

Current Status:

The congregation was active until about 2020, although it only held services once a week, on Saturday morning. Thereafter, activities ceased, possibly as a result of the covid pandemic.

Ritual:

Ashkenazi Orthodox, historically with a more strictly observant membership.

Membership:

Membership and synagogue attendance is low, with the congregation often barely able to obtain the necessary minyan (quotum) for services. However, on the closure of the Greenville Hall synagogue in 1984, many of its former members joined Machzikei Hadass, which offered comparatively low membership fees and a warm welcome.^(vii)

Ministers or Readers:

None known, although the congregation was able to rely upon the services of the various Chief Rabbis of Ireland, who occupied by rotation the pulpits of the various orthodox congregations in Dublin, as well as the services of Dublin's Communal Rabbis.

Lay Officers:

The following data relating to the congregation's hon. secretaries have been extracted from Jewish Year Books which, subsequent to 1956, generally ceased to provide details of lay officers other than the secretary.^(xi) The source of data on the congregation's presidents in given in the relevant footnote.

Hon. Secretaries

1968-1973 - J.B. Gafson^(xii)

1973-1975 - S. Masar

1975-1981 - N. Gross

1981-1997 - J. Gafson^(xiii)

1997-2006 - David Ross

2006-2008 - David Golding

2008-2010 - R. Godfrey

Presidents

prior to 1980 - Louis Steinberg^(xiv)

1983-1987 - Jack (Yankele) Steinberg^(xv)

2006-2010 - M. Milovsky^(xvi)