the former

Chevrah Tehillim Synagogue

(Lombard Street Synagogue)

Dublin, Ireland

JCR-UK is a genealogical and historical website covering all Jewish communities and
congregations throughout the British Isles and Gibraltar, both past and present.

Congregation Data

Name

Chevrah Tehillim Synagogue (also known as Lombard Street Synagogue)

Address:

46 Lombard Street West, Dublin.⁽ⁱⁱ⁾ (The building later became a clothing factory.)

Date Formed:

Founded in 1893.⁽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 by 1960, due to the decline in the Jewish population in the area, many moving to the suburbs.^(iv)

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.)

Rev. Josselson - "rabbi" from about 1905 until about 1907^(vii)

Rabbi Elkan Eliezer Gavron - minister from 1921 until 1939^(viii)

Dayan S. Zalmon Yosef Alony - minister from about 1947 until about 1953^(ix)

Rabbi Aaron Fischel Herling - minister from about 1953 until about 1960^(x)

The congregation was one of the six congregations which, in 1919, combined to appoint Rabbi Isaac Halevi Herzog as communal rabbi of the Dublin Jewish community,^(xi) prior to him being appointed Chief Rabbi of Ireland in 1922.

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

Rev. Menachem BenZion Ordman - in and about 1910^(xiii)

Rev. E. Fisher - from about 1939 until about 1948^(xiv)

Rev. D. Gluck - from about 1948 until about 1953^(xv)

Lay Officers from 1896:

The following data on lay officers has been extracted from Jewish Year Books, first published in 1896/97^(xx) It was not published during the war years 1941 to 1945, nor were there any listings of lay officers (other than secretary) subsequent to 1956.

Presidents

1902-1903 - I. Wolf

1903-1905 - A. Levy

1907-1916 - F. Ginsburg

1916-1918 - M. Leventhal

1918-1920 - R. Rubenstein

1920-1931 - M.E. Leventhal

1931-1938 - I. Maslin

1938-1945 - no data

1945-1955 - P. Davis

1955-1956 - I. Caplin

Treasurers

1945-1946 - I. Caplin

1946-1956 - B. Rubenstein

Hon. Secretaries

1946-1955 - H. Solomons

1955-1957 - A. Sharpe

1957-1959 - H. Robinson

1959-1960 - S. Zeider

Membership Data:

Number of Seatholders - Jewish Year Books^(xxi)

1939 - 198

1947 - 100

Cemetery Data:

See Dublin Jewish Cemeteries Information on the Dublin home page.

Notes & Sources (↵ returns to text above)

(i) Reserved.

(ii) Street name listed in Jewish Year Books from 1902/3. Street number provided in blog by Patrick Comerford (see below) ↵

(iii) This is the date given in Louis Hyman's The Jews of Ireland from Earliest Times to the Year 1910 (1962) ("Jews of Ireland"), p.165. In Jewish Year Books from 1948, the date given is ca. 1890. ↵

(iv) Based upon the congregation's last listing was in the Jewish Year Book 1960. ↵

(v) and (vi) Reserved.

(vii) Based upon "Rev. Mr. Josesson" being listed as "Rabbi" of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1905/6 and 1906/7. ↵

(viii) Jewish Chronicle obituary 14 November 1941. Rabbi Gavron was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1926 through 1940. ↵

(ix) Based upon Rabbi Alony's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1948 through 1953. ↵

(ix) Rabbi Herling was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1954 through 1960. ↵

(xi) Jewish Chroniclle report of 4 April 1919. The other congregations were:
the Dublin Hebrew Congregation, the United Hebrew Congregation, Lennox Street Synagogue, Oakfield Place Synagogue and St. Kevins Parade Synagogue. ↵

(xii) Reserved.

(xiii) Jewish Chronicle obituary 9 June 1967. Rabbi Ordman was not listed in Jewish Year Books with regard to this congregation. ↵

(xiv) Based upon Rev. E. Fisher's listing as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1940 and from 1945/6 through 1948. As he was listed as serving both prior to and following the cessation of publication during World War II, it is assumed that he also served as reader of the congregation throughout the war. ↵

(xv) Based upon Rev. D. Gluck's listing as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1949 through 1953. ↵

(xvi) and (xix) Reserved.

(xx) 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. ↵

(xxi) Jewish Year Books 1940 and 1948, respectively. ↵

Online Articles and Other Material
relating to the Congregation

On Third Party websites

Chevrah Tehillim Synagogue, Lombard Street West - blog by Patrick Comerford, no. 11 from his Synagogues of Dublin series (full list), 9 October 2019.

Dublin Jewish Community home page

JCR-UK Ireland home page

Page created: 13 June 2006
Data significantly expanded and notes first added: 8 November 2022
Page most recently amended: 9 November 2022

Research and formatting by David Shulman

Explanation of Terms | About JCR-UK | JCR-UK home page

Contact JCR-UK Webmaster:
jcr-ukwebmaster@jgsgb.org.uk

Terms and Conditions, Licenses and Restrictions for the use of this website:

This website is owned by JewishGen and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. All material found herein is owned by or licensed to us. You may view, download, and print material from this site only for your own personal use. You may not post material from this site on another website without our consent. You may not transmit or distribute material from this website to others. You may not use this website or information found at this site for any commercial purpose.