St. Anne's Hebrew Congregation

Lytham St. Anne's, Lancashire

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Town of Lytham St. Annes

The Lancashire seaside town of Lytham St. Annes (originally the twin towns of Lytham and St. Annes on Sea) is situated just to the south of Blackpool, with which it is closely associated. The town forms part of the district (and borough) of Fylde in the county of Lancashire. The district was formed in 1974 upon the merger of several authorities, including the borough of Lytham St. Annes.

St. Annes Synagogue, 2014

Lytham St. Annes Jewish Community

There has been Jewish residents in St. Annes from the early twentieth century, although the synagogue was not established until the 1920s. The community in Blackpool was considered the primary Jewish community in the area. However with the decline of Blackpool's Jewish community and the closure of its Orthodox synagogue, the congregation in St. Annes is now the only Orthodox congregation in the area, although there is a Reform synagogue centred in Blackpool.

Congregation Data
Name:	St. Annes Hebrew Congregation
Address:	Orchard Road, St. Annes on Sea, FY8 1PJ, Lancashire. The premises were purchased in 1939. From 1940 to 1961, the congregation used a building that had previously been occupied by the St. Annes Women's Conservative and Unionist Association, and prior to that by the St. Mary's Mission Church, a Baptist chapel, which building was demolished and replaced by the present purpose-built synagogue building in 1961.⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾
Previous Address:	Union Bank Chambers, Park Road, St Annes on Sea, Lancashire, from 1928 until 1940.^(iv)
Formation and Previous addresses:	Although an earlier congregation had been founded by Joseph Smouha in 1912 (see below), there appears to have been a continuous Jewish congregation in St Annes since 1920, when a number of Sephardi Jewish textile merchants from South Manchester, led by Joseph Hamwee (also spelled Hamuwi), who lived in a large house where the Aldi store is today, established a small congregation which met over Smiths butcher’s shop on Orchard Road. This moved in 1928 to a room over the Union Bank Chambers. However, the formal St Annes Hebrew Congregation officially dates itself from 1927.^(v)
Current Status:	Active.
Ritual:	Ashkanazi Orthodox, although the congregation started out as a Sephardi congregation due to its founding by the Humwee family.^(vi)
Affiliation:	The congregation is unaffiliated but is under the aegis of the Chief Rabbi.
Earlier Congregation:	An earlier Sephardi congregation, known as the Portuguese Congregation, was founded in St Annes by Joseph Simonha in 1912 and continued until about 1917 (see below for its officers).^(vii)
Incorporated Congregation:	In May 2012, the Blackpool United Hebrew Congregation was incorporated, following the closure of its Leamington Road Synagogue.^(viii)
Official Website:	https://shulbythesea.co.uk/
Ministers : (To view a short profile of a minister or reader - hold the cursor over his name.)	Rev. Leslie Henry Hardman - from about 1934 until 1936^(xi) Rev. Jacob Simon Harris - from 1936 until 1938^(xii) Rev. Solomon Raphael Evans - from 1938 until 1942^(xiii) Rev. Alexander C. Jaffe - from August 1940 until about 1943^(xiv) Rev. Alec Ginsburg - from 1943 to late 1944^(xv) Rev. Elias Goodman - from 1944 until early 1946^(xvi) Rev. Sidney Black - from 1946 until 1951^(xviii) Rev Maurice Myerowitz - junior minister/youth leader from 1952 until late 1953^(xix) Rev. Louis Jakob - from about 1955 until 1958^(xx) Rev. Leonard Book - from 1973 until 1978 (first term)^(xxi) Rabbi Reuben Fisher - from 1979 until 1990^(xxii) Rabbi Mendel Lew - from 1992 until 1996^(xxv) Rabbi Irvin Broder - from 1996 until 2002^(xxvi) Rabbi Leonard Book - from 2003 until 2011 (second term)^(xxi) Rabbi David Braunold - from 2011 until 2013^(xxvii) Rabbi David Katanka - from 2013 until 2014^(xxviii) Rabbi Ephraim Guttentag - from 2014 until 2018^(xxix) Rabbi Danny Bergson - from 2018 until present (December 2020) ^(xxx)
Chazan (Reader):	Rev. Emmanuel Feldinger - chazan, shochet and headmaster from 1946 until 1974^(xxxi) Rev. Hershel Caplan - second reader from 1952 until 1958^(xxxii) Rev. Isaac Gould - second reader and secretary from 1956 until 1974^(xxxiii)
Officers of the Earlier Congregation:	The following were the listed officers of the Portuguese Congregation from about 1912 until about 1917:^(xxxiv) President - Joseph Smouha Treasurer - Ezekiel Dunnoos Hon. Secretary - D. Ades
Lay Officers of the Congregation:	The data on the lay officers of the congregation has been extracted Jewish Year Book listings.^(xxxv)
	Presidents 1928-1935 - J. A. Hamwee (or Hamuwi).^(xxxvi) 1935-1937 - A. Finestone 1937-1938 - M. D. Cohen 1938-1939 - David Cohen 1939-1954 - A. Harris^(xxxvii) 1954-1956 - P. Lewis Vice Presidents^(xxxviii) 1932-1935 - A. Finestone 1946-1948 - P. Lewis Treasurers 1932-1937 - P. Webber 1937-1938 - H. E. Freedman 1938-1939 - P. Webber 1939-1940 - P. Salter and Phillip Smith 1940-1945 - no data (war years) 1945-1946 - I. Groswold 1946-1947 - J. N. Lever 1947-1954 - A. H. Kindler 1954-1956 - A. Libbert	Wardens^(xxxix) 1945-1946 - S. Stark 1946-1949 - J. Benson 1949-1953 - S. B. Stark 1953-1956 - M. Goldstone Hon. Secretaries 1932-1936 - P. Webber 1936-1937 - H. E. Freedman 1937-1938 - J. R. Cohen 1938-1939 - H. Marks 1939-1940 - M. Collins 1940-1945 - no data (war years) 1945-1946 - M. A. Smith 1946-1950 - L. S. Jeffay 1950-1961 - M. Collins 1961-1962 - S. Spector 1962-1964 - H. Bloom 1964-1966 - P. Davidson 1966-1969 - L. E. Gee
Charitable Status:	The congregation appears to have been registered charity in the early 2000s (no 66492),^(xl) but as of 2020, no such registration could be found.
Membership Data:	Reports & Survey^(xli) 1977 - 160 male (or household) members and 57 female members 1983 - 146 male (or household) members and 112 female members 1990 - 195 members (households) 1996 - 170 members (comprising 80 households, 40 individual male and 50 individual female members) 2010 - listed as having 50 to 99 members (by household) 2016 - listed as having under 50 members (by household)
*Notes & Sources:* In light of the large number of notes, these now appear towards the foot of this page, instead of the foot this box. However, the note can also still be viewed in a pop-up box when the cursor is held over the note number.

The building original on the synagogue site

Congregational Records
Registration District (BMD):	Lancashire (since 1 June 2006) - Link to Register Office website Previous Registration Districts: Fleetwood & Fylde - from 1 April 1998 to 1 June 2006. Blackpool & Fylde - from 1 April 1974 to 1 April 1998. Fylde - I July 1837 to 1 April 1974 (All registers would now be held by current office.) Worship Number: 58357
Synagogue Records:	Synagogue Records - In London Metropolitan Archives: Membership lists acc/ 3121/DO2 - LMA Ref: 122 1942-1966

Lytham St. Annes Jewish Cemetery Information

There is a consecrated Jewish section at the municipal cemetery in Lytham:

Lytham Park Cemetery, Hebrew Section, Regent Avenue, Lytham FY8. The cemetery serves the local orthodox congregation in St. Annes.

(See also IAJGS cemetery Project - Lytham St. Annes)

St Annes Jewish Population Data
Year	Number	Source
1946	350	Jewish Year Book 1947
1950	375	Jewish Year Book 1951
1958	520	Jewish Year Book 1959
1967	700	Jewish Year Book 1968
1984	500	Jewish Year Book 1985

Notes & Sources
(↵ returns to text above)

(i) and (ii) Reserved.
(iii) History on the congregation's website, first accessed 14 December 2016. ↵
(iv) History on the congregation's website, first accessed 14 December 2016, and the address listed in Jewish Year Books from 1933 through 1939. ↵
(v) History on the congregation's website, accessed 7 December 2020, supplemented by communication from Hilary Thomas, historian. St. Annes was first listed in the Jewish Year Book 1928, but without an address, nor the words "Hebrew Congregation" until 1933. However, the congregation celebrated its Golden and Diamond Jubilee celebrations, respectively, in 1977 and 1987. ↵
(vi) History on the congregation's website, first accessed 7 December 2020. ↵
(vii) Listed in Jewish Year Books 1913 through 1917. ↵
(viii) "About Our Shul" on the congregation's website, accessed 14 December 2016. ↵
(ix) and (x) Reserved.
(xi) Based upon Rev. Hardman's listing as reader and shochet for the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1935 and 1936. As there was no "minister" listed for the congregation, Rev. Hardman's position would have included ministerial duties. There were no earlier listings of ministers or readers for the congregation. ↵
(xii) Based upon communication from Hilary Thomas and Rev. Harris's listing as reader and shochet for the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1937 through 1939. As there was no "minister" listed for the congregation, Rev. Harris's position would have included ministerial duties. ↵
(xiii) Based upon communication from Hilary Thomas and Rev. Evans's listing as minister for the congregation in the Jewish Year Book 1940. There were no subsequent publications of the year book until 1945. ↵
(xiv) Based upon communication from Hilary Thomas. Details of Rev. Jaffe's appointment appear in The Jewish Chronicle report of 20 August 1940. ↵
(xv) Based on communication from Hilary Thomas and a Jewish Chronicle report dated 6 June 1947 stating that Rev A Ginsburg, "former minister of St Annes Hebrew congregation," has been appointed chaplain to H.M. Forces on a three year short service commission. ↵
(xvi) Communication from Hilary Thomas, Jewish Chronicle reports and Rev. Goodman's listing as minister for the congregation in the Jewish Year Book 1945/46. There had been no previous publications of the year book since 1940. ↵
(xvii) Reserved.
(xviii) Based upon communication from Hilary Thomas and Rev. Black's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1947 through 1952. ↵
(xix) Based communication from Hilary Thomas and upon Rev. (later Rabbi) Myerowitz's listing as minister of the congregation in the Jewish Year Book 1953. There were no ministers listed in the 1954 and 1955 editions. ↵
(xx) Based upon Rev. Jakob's listing (as Rev. I. Jakob) as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1956 through 1958. There were no ministers listed in the editions from 1959 through 1973. ↵
(xxi) Based upon Rev. (and then Rabbi) Book's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1974 through 1979 and 2004 through 2011. ↵
(xxii) Based upon Rabbi Fisher's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1980 through 1990. ↵
(xviii) and (xxviv) Reserved.
(xxv) Although Rabbi Lew's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books was 1995 and 1996, a Jewish Weekly reports of 18 May 2017, gives his year of commencement as 1992. ↵
(xxvi) Rabbi Broder was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1997 through 2003. ↵
(xxvii) Based upon Rabbi Braunold's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 2012 and 2013. ↵
(xxviii) Kol Dodi - a Selection of Torah Articles and Historical Biogrphies by Rabbi David Katanka (2015), p.253. ↵
(xxix) Based upon Jewish Chronicle reports. ↵
(xxx) Based upon Jewish Chronicle reports. ↵
(xxxi) Based upon communication from Hilary Thomas and Rev. Feldinger's listing as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1948 through 1973. ↵
(xxxii) Advised by a member of Rev. Caplan's family. ↵
(xxxiii) Information provided by family member. ↵
(xxxiv) Listed in Jewish Year Books 1913 through 1917. ↵
(xxxv) Where a person is first listed in a year book as holding a particular office, it has been generally assumed that his term office commenced in the year of publication of the relevant year book, which was generally towards the end of the year prior to year appearing in the title (e.g. if he is first listed in the Jewish Year Book 1936, it is assumed that he commenced office in 1935) and it is also assumed that the officer continued in office until the commencement of office of his successor (unless the office was referred to as vacant). Generally, where an officer's full name is provided, the given name has been extracted from sources other than the Jewish Year Books. However, it should be noted that the above are only assumptions and, accordingly, the years given are only approximate and that the actual years of office may differ from those shown here. The Jewish Year Books were not published during World War II and ceased providing details of lay officers (other than secretaries) after 1956. ↵
(xxxvi) Based upon J.A. Hawmee's listing as president of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1928 (the first listing of the congregation) through 1935. However, on the congregation's wbsite, accessed 7 December 2020, It refers to the founders as the "Hamuwi" family from South Manchester. ↵
(xxxvii) Although Jewish Year Books were not published during World War II, as Mr. A. Harris was listed as president of the congregation both before publication ceased (in 1940) and after it resumed (1945/6 until 1954), it is assumed be also served during the intervening years. ↵
(xxxviii) For most years there was no vice-president listed. ↵
(xxxix) There were no wardens listed prior to World War II. ↵
(xl) Jewish Year Books 2001 through 2015. ↵
(xli) Reports on synagogue membership in the United Kingdom, published by 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. ↵

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Page created: 21 August 2005
Data significantly expanded and notes first added: 7 December 2020
Latest revision or update: 5 May 2021

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