the former

Camden Street Synagogue

Dublin, Ireland

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Congregation Data
Name	Camden Street Synagogue
Address:	52 Camden Street, Dublin, from 1892.⁽ⁱ⁾ From 1912 to 1915, the building was also the headquarters of the International Tailors’, Machiners' and Pressers' Union, which had been established by Jewish workers.⁽ⁱⁱ⁾
Date Formed:	Founded in 1892.⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾ The congregation was one of a number of hebrot (small congregations) in Dublin's South Circular Road area (around Clanbrassil Street and Portobello) established in the 1880's and 1890's, primarily by recent immigrants from Lithuania and Poland. These new arrivals were generally far more strictly observant than members of the existing somewhat assimilated Jewish community. The existing synagogue, in Mary's Abbey, held only Saturday morning services and, being some two miles from where the newcomers lived, was a long walk on the Sabbath. Furthermore, it was also too small for the needs of the growing community and the largely Yiddish-speaking newcomers found its services too formal, stern, middle class and unwelcoming. As a result of this influx of "foreign" Jews, this area became home to the majority of Dublin's Jews and was known as "Little Jerusalem".
Closure:	Closed in 1916,^(iv) upon the commencement of religious services at Greenville Hall by the United Hebrew Congregation, which included former members of the Camden Street congregation.
Ritual:	Ashkenazi Orthodox
Ministers:	Camden Street was one of the congregation to which Rev. Alexander Rabinovitz (Robinson) ministered in the 1890s - early 1990s.^(v)
Reader:	Mr. L. Jafe from at least 1896 to about 1902^(vii)
Lay Officers from 1896:	The following data on lay officers has been extracted from Jewish Year Books, first published in 1896/97^(viii)
	Presidents 1896-1898 - M. Vanee 1898-1901 - M. Jackson 1901-1902 - M. Weiner 1902-1907 - M. Grispon 1907-1908 - J. Brown 1908-1913 - M. Jackson 1913-1916 - J. Zletover^(ix) Vice President 1899-1901 - M. Grinspon	Treasurers 1896-1898 - E. Ellisaf 1898-1899 - M. Grispon 1899-1901 - J.M. Weiner Hon. Secretaries 1896-1898 - M. Solomons 1898-1901 - J. Solomons
Membership Data:	1896 - 90 seatholders^(x)
Cemetery Data:	See Dublin Jewish Cemeteries Information on the Dublin home page.
Notes & Sources (↵ returns to text above) (i) A plaque placed on the side of the building in 2002 states that it was used as a synagogue 1892-1916. This address was also listed for the congregation in Jewish Year Books from the first edition (1896/97) until the congregation ceased to be listed. ↵ (ii) The plaque placed on the side of the building in 2002. ↵ (iii) The Jews of Ireland by Louis Hyman, p.165 and Jewish Year Books from 1896/7. ↵ (iv) The congregation's last listing was in the Jewish Year Book 1915 and the Greenville Hall synagogue was listed from 1916. The plaque displayed on the building indicates that the building was used as a synagogue 1892-1916. ↵ (v) The Jews of Ireland by Louis Hyman, p.199. To view a short profile of a Rev. Rabinovitz - hold the cursor over his name. ↵ (vi) Reserved. (vii) Based upon listing in the first Jewish Year Book (1896/97) through 1900/01. ↵ (viii) Where a person is first listed in a year book as holding a particular office, it has been assumed that 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 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 1919 through 1924, it is assumed that he commenced office in 1918 and continued in office until 1924. 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. ↵ (ix) J. Zletover (or Zlotover) was also the first president of the United Hebrew Congregation, Greenvillle House. ↵ (x) Jewish Year Book 1896/7. ↵

Online Articles and Other Material
relating to the Congregation

On Third Party websites

Camden Street Synagogue - blog by Patrick Comerford, no. 9 from his Synagogues of Dublin series (full list), 7 October 2019.

Dublin Jewish Community home page

JCR-UK Ireland home page

Page created: 13 June 2006
Data significantly expanded and notes first added: 3 November 2022
Page most recently amended: 13 December 2022

Research and formatting by David Shulman

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