Woodside Park Synagogue

London N12

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Congregation Data

Name:

Woodside Park Synagogue

Former Names⁽ⁱ⁾:

North Finchley and Woodside Park Synagogue (from about 1976 to about 1982)

North Finchley and Woodside Park District Synagogue (from about 1947 to about 1976)

North Finchley and Woodside Park Hebrew Congregation (from about 1946 to about 1947)

Woodside Park Hebrew Congregation (until about 1946)

Address:

Woodside Park Road, Woodside Park, North Finchley, London N12 8RZ.

Previously the congregation was at 3 Alexandra Grove, North Finchley, London N12 (from at least 1945 to about 1950)⁽ⁱⁱ⁾

Current Status:

Active

Date Formed:

By 1943

Ritual:

Ashkenazi Orthodox

Affiliation:

Joined the United Synagogue as an affiliated synagogue in 1943⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾, becoming a district synagogue in about 1948. In about 1976, all existing district synagogues received constituent (full member) status. .

Website:

http://www.woodsideparksynagogue.org.uk

Ministers:

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

Rev. Cyril I. Shine - from 1949 until 1955^(vi)

Rabbi Sidney Benzion Leperer - from about 1956 until about 1960^(viii)

Rev. Bernd Koschland - from about 1961 until about 1964^(ix)

Rabbi Lipa Naftali Baum - from 1965 until 1982^(x)

Rabbi Israel Geoffrey Hyman - from 1986 until 1992^(xi)

Rabbi Hershel Rader - - from 1994 until 2007^(xii)

Rabbi Pinchas Hackenbroch - from November 2008 until present (May 2021)^(xiii)

Assistant Rabbis:

Rabbi Garry Wayland - Assistant Rabbi, Youth & Young Families, from 2012 until 2016^(xiv)

Rabbi Akiva Rosenblatt (& Rebbetzen Batya Rosenblatt) - Assistant Rabbi, from 2018 until 2020^(xv)

Chazan (Cantors):

Rev. Arnold Linden - from 1954 until October 1956^(xix)

Rev. Michael L. Plaskow - from November 1956 until 2000 (until 1960, part-time)^(xx)

Rev. L. Stephen Robins - from 2000 until about 2012^(xxi)

Lay Officers:^(xxv)

Wardens

1945-1946 - E. Michaels & M. Wolrajch

1946-1947 - M. Wolrajch & L. Taub

1947-1950 - M. Wingate & L. Taub

1950-1952 - M. Wingate & Sidney L. Samson

1952-1953 - M. Wingate & S. Sebba

1953-1954 - M. Wingate & M. Thei

1954-1956 - M. Thei & L. Dawson

Hon. Secretaries/ Secretaries^(xxvi)

1946-1950 - Sidney L. Samson

1950-1951 - H. Ashton

1951-1952 - Mrs. L. Miller

1952-1970 - I. J. Conrad

Financial Representatives

1945-1946 - G. Dollow

1946-1948 - C.L. Blake

1948-1950 - Sidney L. Samson

1950-1953 - M. Thei

1953-1954 - L. Dawson

1954-1955 - Dr. H. Elliman

1955-1956 - Sidney L. Samson

Membership Data:

United Synagogue (male seat-holders)^(xxvii)

1950

1960

1970

301

538

703

National Reports & Surveys^(xxviii)

1977 - 726 male (or household) members and 162 female members

1983 - 778 male (or household) members and 212 female members

1990 - 980 members (comprising 945 households, 20 individual male and 15 individual female members)

1996 - 842 members (comprising 788 households, 31 individual male and 23 individual female members)

2010 & 2016 - listed as having 750 to 999 members (by household)

Congregation's Website

2018 - nearly 1,400 members^(xxix)

Charitable Status:

As a constituent of the United Synagogue, the congregation operates within that organisation's registered charity status (registered charity no. 242552).

However, the congregation had its own general charitable trust - The Woodside Park Synagogue Charitable Settlement, a registered charity (no. 295637), which had been registered on 15 December 1976 and was removed from the register on 16 January 2012.^(xxx)

Local Government District:

Woodside Park and North Finchley, residential suburbs in Northwest London, are in the London Borough of Barnet ^(xxxi) and were (until 1965) in the former Municipal Borough of Finchley.

Bibliography - Barnet

Registration District (BMD):

Barnet^(xxxii) - Link to Register Office website.

Cemetery
Information:

For United Synagogue cemeteries, see Cemeteries of the United Synagogue.

Notes & Sources (↵ returns to text above)

(i) The dates shown are approximate, reflecting the changes in name of the congregation, as listed in Jewish Year Books. ↵

(ii) The Alexandra Grove address is given in Jewish Year Books from 1945/46 (the first listing of the congregation) through 1951. ↵

(iii) The United Synagogue 1870-1970 by Aubrey Newman (1977), p. 222. However, when the congregation was first listed in the Jewish Year Book 1945/6, it was still referred to as an independent congregation. Either this statement or the date given in Professor Newman's book is incorrect. ↵

(iv) and (v) Reserved.

(vi) Based upon Rev. (later Rabbi) Shine's "Who's Who" entries in Jewish Year Books, incl 1969. In 1948, Rev. Samuel Wolfson had initially agreed to become the minister and secretary of the congregation (and was listed as such in the Jewish Year Book 1949) but subsequently decided to remain in Liverpool. ↵

(vii) Reserved.

(viii) Based upon Rabbi Leperer's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1957 through 1960. ↵

(ix) Based upon listing of Rev. Koschland as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1962 through 1964. ↵

(x) Although Rabbi Baum was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1966 through 1984, according to Jewish Chronicle reports, he retired in 1982. ↵

(xi) Based upon Rabbi Hyman's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1987 through 1993 and on-line profile. ↵

(xii) Online profile of Rabbi Rader (on SJRC website) and Jewish Chronicle Press Report 20 April 2007. ↵

(xiii) Profile on congregation's website, last accessed 6 May 2021. ↵

(xiv) Based upon listing in Jewish Year Book 2015 (the final edition of the book) and Rabbi Wayland's Linedin profile. ↵

(xv) Profile on congregation's website, accessed early 2020. According to press reports, Rabbi Rosenblatt joined Hadley Wood synagogue later in the year. ↵

(xvi) to (xviii) Reserved.

(xix) Based upon Rev. Linden's listing as reader of the congregation solely in the Jewish Year Book 1956. ↵

(xx) Biography on congregation's website (last accessed 7 August 2020). Rev. Plaskow was awarded an MBE in 1998 ↵

(xxi) Based upon Rev. Robin's listing in Jewish Year Books 2001 through 2012. ↵

(xxii) and (xxiv) Reserved.

(xxv) The data as listed here has been extracted from Jewish Year Books. 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 relevent year book (which was generally towards the end of the year prior to year appearing the the title of the year book) and that he continued in office until the commencement of office of his successor (e.g. if he is listed in Jewish Year Books 1950 through 1952, it is assumed that he commenced office in 1949 and continued in office until 1952). However, it should be noted that this is only an assumption and accordingly his actual years of office may differ from those shown here. There were no Jewish Year Book listings of officers (other than secretary) subsequent to 1956. ↵

(xxvi) The title of the office was described as "Hon. Secretary" until Jewish Year Book 1952 and thereafter simply "Secretary". ↵

(xxvii) The United Synagogue 1870-1970 by Aubrey Newman (1977), pp. 218/19. ↵

(xxviii) Reports on synagogue membership in the United Kingdom, published by or on behalf of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and which can be viewed on the website of the Institute of Jewish Policy Research. Click HERE for links to the various reports. ↵

(xxix) Congregation's website, accessed 10 May 2018. ↵

(xxx) Charities Commissioners website (in beta test stage), accessed 13 May 2018. ↵

(xxxi) The London Borough of Barnet, an Outer London Borough within the Greater London administrative area, was created on 1 April 1965 upon the merger of the the Municipal Boroughs of Finchley and Hendon and Urban District of Friern Barnet (all of which had been in the former county of Middlesex) with the Urban Districts of Barnet and East Barnet (both of which had been part of the county of Hertfordshire). ↵

(xxxii) The former Registration District was Hendon, from the formation of Congregation until 1 April 1999. All registers would now be held by current register office. ↵

List of United Synagogue Congregations

Jewish Congregations in the London Borough of Barnet

Jewish Congregations in Greater London

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Page created: 16 October 2006
Data significantly expanded and notes first added: 10 May 2018
Latest revision or update: 6 May 2021

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