St Albans Masorti Synagogue

St Albans, Hertfordshire

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congregations throughout the British Isles and Gibraltar, both past and present.
NOTE: We are not the official website of this congregation, which can be reached by clicking on the congregation's logo below.

Congregation Data

Name:

St Albans Masorti Synagogue

Addresses:

Unit 9, The Decora Centre, Campfield Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 5HN (from 2012⁽ⁱ⁾)

Previous, the congregation met at various venues.

Current Status:

Active

Date Founded:

1990⁽ⁱⁱ⁾

Ritual:

Masorti / Conservative

Affiliation:

The congregation is a constituent synagogue of Masorti Judaism (formerly the Assembly of Masorti Synagogues)⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾

Website:

http://www.e-sams.org/

Rabbis:
(To view a short profile of a rabbi who also served other UK congregations - name in blue - hold the cursor over his name.)

Rabbi Paul Glantz - from 2000 to 2003^(v)

Rabbi Jeremy Gordon - from 2004 to March 2008 ^(vi)

Rabbi Raphael (Rafi) Kaiserblueth - from August 2010 to 2016 (the congregation's first full-time rabbi)^(vii)

Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffet - from 2017 until present (March 2021)^(viii)

Membership Data

Congregation's Website^(x)

1990 - 3 families

2017 - 450 male and female members

Reports & Surveys^(xi)

1990 - 18 members (comprising 16 households and 2 individual female members)

1996 - 35 members (comprising 32 households and 3 individual female members)

2010 & 2016 - listed as having 100 to 199 members (by household)

Annual Reports of Masorti Judaism^(xii) - number of members as of 1 January:

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

179

180

177

177

183

189

214

240

276

294

294

Legal & Charitable Status:

On 28 February 2007, the congregation was incorporated as a registered (non-profit) company, St Albans Masorti Synagogue (company no. 6131892), a private company limited by guarantee without a share capital (and with an exemption from use of the word 'Limited'). The congregation is also a registered charity (no. 1118649), registered on 1 June 1992.^(xiii)

Registration District (BMD):

Hertfordshire^(xiv) (since 1 April 2008) - Link to Register Office website

Cemetery
Information:

There is no Jewish cemetery in St Albans. However, the congregation is a member (with "London Synagogue" status) of the Jewish Joint Burial Society (JJBS), which includes rights of burial at one of the Society's cemeteries, in particular the Western Cemetery, Bulls Cross Ride, Cheshunt (only about 17 miles away). There is also generally the option (through the JJBS) of a Woodland Burial in Cheshunt or cremation at Golders Green Crematorium.

Notes & Sources (↵ returns to text above)

(i) The Congregation's website (first accessed 2 July 2017) relates that "...we have finally secured our own place! On 18 May 2012 we held our first Friday night service, with over 100 people celebrating the conversion of an industrial unit into our new home". ↵

(ii) The Congregation's website (accessed 2 July 2017). ↵

(iii) From its first appearance in Jewish Year Books in 1994, the congregation was listed as a constituent of the Assembly of Masorti Synagogues (AMS) and has been defined as a constituent synagogue in AMS's annual reports from the filing of the first annual report in 2007 (which followed AMS's incorporation - it had previously been an unincorporated association) until the latest annual report, filed for 2017 (see note (xii) below). ↵

(iv) Reserved.

(v) SAMS News (the Congregation's newsletter) refers to Rabbi Glantz's appointment in September 2000 (issue no 52, Summer 2000) and his departure in August 2003 (issue no 64, Autumn 2003). ↵

(vi) SAMS News (the Congregation's newsletter) (issue no 67, Summer 2004) refers to Rabbi Gordon's appointment and congregation's annual report for the year to 31 March 2008 refers to his retirement. ↵

(vii) A Jewish Chronicle report of 18 November 2010 refers to Rabbi Kaiserbleuth's recent induction as rabbi of the Congregation and a Jewish Chronicle report of 25 March 2016 refers to his upcoming departure to take up a post in Australia. ↵

(viii) Masorti Judaism blog of 18 May 2017 refers to his appointment. Rabbi Adam's Zagoria-Moffet (wife Mikayla) was still in office in March 2021, per congregation's website, last accessed 11 March 2021. ↵

(ix) Reserved.

(x) The Congregation's website (accessed 18 May 2017). ↵

(xi) 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. ↵

(xii) Links to Masorti Judaism's annual reports. These figures appear higher than the figures for the above reports and presumably include more than one member per household. ↵

(xiii) Companies House website and Charities Commission's website, respectively, (both in beta trial stage), accessed 18 May 2018, and annual report of congregation for year to 31 March 2008. ↵

(xiv) The former Registration District was St Albans, from 1 July 1837 until 1 April 2008. Any registers would now be held by the current register office, which is situated in Hatfield. ↵

Bibliography, On-line Articles and Other Material
relating to this Congregation

on or connected to the Congregation's website

SAMS (St Albans Masorti Synagogue) Roots - http://e-sams.org/roots/.
Mapping SAMS Roots - http://e-sams.org/roots/mapping-sams-roots/.
SAMS Roots Tour - https://www.historypin.org/en/sams-roots-tour/.

on or from third party websites

Arriving and Belonging - the story of the St Albans Jewish Community - https://www.arrivingbelonging.com/
Annual Reports filed with Companies House and/or the Charities Commission (pdf):
- For years ended 31 March 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

St Albans Jewish Community home page

List of Masorti Judaism Congregations

List of Member Synagogues of the Jewish Joint Burial Society

Jewish Congregations in Hertfordshire

Jewish Communities in Greater London and its Outskirts

Greater London home page

Page created: 12 March 2006
Latest revision or update: 11 March 2021

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