Name

United Hebrew Congregation, Dublin

Alternative Name

Greenville Hall Synagogue
(initially referred to as Greenville House)⁽ⁱ⁾

Address:

Greenville Hall, 228 South Circular Road, Dolphin's Barn, Dublin D8.⁽ⁱⁱ⁾

Situated between Dolphin’s Barn and Leonard’s Corner on the South Circular Road, Greenville House was purchased in 1913 for £625.⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾ For some years the upstairs rooms of the existing building were used for religious services and until the 1916, with the opening of Greenville Hall, the downstairs was used for social events.^(iv) A community appeal for £5,000 was launched in 1914 but the project was delayed due to World War I and it was not until 1925 that the new Greenville Hall Synagogue was opened.^(v)  The synagogue was designed by the Dublin architect, Aubrey Vincent O'Rourke.^(vi)

On 3 January 1941, the synagogue building was somewhat damaged by a German air raid.^(ix)
(Although the Republic of Ireland remained neutral throughout World War II, it was nevertheless the subject of a number of German air raids. At the insistence of the Irish Government, the Nazi government agreed to pay reparations for the damage, although it appears that any such reparations were paid by the German post-war government. )

Formation:

A number of hebrot (small congregations) had been established primarily in the 1880s and 1890s in Dublin's South Circular Road area (around Clanbrassil Street and Portobello) primarily by immigrants from Lithuania and Poland, who were generally more strictly observant than members of the then existing somewhat assimilated Jewish community. By the end of first decade of the twentieth century it became evident that the combined facilities of these hebrot were inadequate for the growing congregations. However, the members of these congregations had no desire to join the Adelaide Synagogue of the mainstream Dublin Hebrew Congregation.

Accordingly on 10 October 1909, representatives of four of the hebrot met to discuss the situation and left as founders of the Dublin United Hebrew Congregation.^(x) A building fund was established for the building of a new synagogue. Greenville House was purchased in 1913, services were commenced in the existing Greenville House in 1915, but the new synagogue was not completed until 1925.

Although it had been the intention that the hebrot would be replaced by a new united congregation, most of the hebrot continued as independent congregations despite the opening of the Greenville House congregation,^(xi) although many of their members joined the new congregation. In fact only one congregation, the Camden Street Synagogue, ceased its activities upon the opening of Greenville House and another, Oakfield Place Synagogue, closed in about 1927.^(xii) (The Heytesbury Street Congregation had closed many years earlier.)

Closure:

After some years of endeavoring to cope with falling membership due to Jewish migration from the vicinity of the South Circular Road, the synagogue finally closed its doors in 1984. Many of its displaced members joined the Machzikei Hadass Synagogue (the successor congregation to the St. Kevin's Parade Synagogue).^(xiii)

From 1989, the building became premises of Mason Technology, scientific equipment suppliers, who by a strange coincidence, realised that had also operated from another former synagogue, Dublin's first synagogue in Crane  Lane.^(xiv)

Ritual:

Ashkenazi Orthodox

Ministers:

(To view a short profile of a minister or reader whose name appears in blue - hold the cursor over his name.)

Rather than appointing its own minister, almost from its founding the congregation relied upon the spiritual leadership of the various Chief Rabbis of Ireland and Dublin's communal rabbis. In 1919, the United Hebrew Congregation was one of the six congregations which combined to appoint Rabbi Isaac Halevi Herzog as communal rabbi of the Dublin Jewish community, prior to him being appointed Chief Rabbi of Ireland in 1922.^(xviii) In addition, particularly from the 1950s, the Chief Rabbis occupied by rotation the pulpits of the various orthodox congregations in Dublin, generally none of which had their own minister.

The only listed minister exclusive to this congregation was:

Rab David Freilich - minister from about 1946 until about 1948^(xix)

Readers:

Rev. B. Yaffey - reader from about 1925 until about 1938^(xx)

Rev. Wolf Garbarz - first reader from about 1931 until at least 1944^(xxi)

Rev. J. Segal - reader from 1946 until 1956^(xxii)

Rev. Abraham Gittleson - second reader (and later as first reader) from about 1948 until 1983 (though not necessarily continuously)^(xxiii)

Rev. Benjamin Hass - first reader from about 1957 until 1961^(xxiv)

Lay Officers from 1896:

Unless otherwise stated, the following data on lay officers has been extracted from Jewish Year Books, which were not published during the war years 1941 to 1945, and which subsequent to 1956 generally ceased to provide details of lay officers other than the secretary.^(xxviii) In several instances the full name of an officer has been obtained from other sources.

Presidents

1915-1916 - J. Zletover^(xxix)

1916-1920 - Dr. George Selig Wigoder^(xxx)

1920-1929 - Joseph Zlotover^(xxix)

1929-1934 - Dr. George Selig Wigoder^(xxx)

1934-1938 - no data

1938-1946 - M. Ellis, PC^(xxxi)

1946-1949 - M. Jacobson

1949-at least 1956 - A. Benson, PC

Treasurers

1916-1918 - J. Zletover^(xxix)

1918-1920 - T. Coleman

1920-1923 - William Green

1923-1925 - D. Baigel

1925-1934 - no data

1934-1939 - J. Tomkin

1939-1940 - W. Baigel

1940-1945 - no data

1945-1946 - M. Jacobson*

1946-1949 - A. Benson, PC*

1949 to at least 1956 - B. Shaw*

*The Treasurer also served as
Vice President 1945-1951

Vice Presidents

1934-1938 - M. Ellis

1938-1939 - J. Slotover^(xxix)

1939-1940 - M. Jacobson

1940-1945 - no data

1945-1951 - joined with Treasurer

Hon. Secretaries

1925-1927 - William Green

1927-1931 - A. Zolkie

1931-1936 - A. Zolkie & William Green

1936-1939 - William Green

1939-1940 - S. Seligman

1940-1945 - no data

1945-1946 - R. Segal & B. Shaw

1946-1949 - B. Shaw

1949-1950 - T. Segal

1950-1957 - S. Baigel

1957-1959 - J. Segal

1960-1962 - M. Swillman

1962-1963 - H. Woolfson

1963-1976 - J. Segal

1976-1981 - D. Levy

1981-1984 - B. Katz

Membership Data:

Number of Member (seatholders)

Jewish Year Books^(xxxii)

1939 - 198

1945 - 280

1953 - 198

1962 - 120

Other sources^(xxxiii)

1951 - 300

1961 - 150