| ||||
|
||||
Selected Press Reports relating to
*
The foundation stone was laid at 71 Brook Green on February 2, 1890, by Benjamin Louis Cohen, the then vice president of the United Synagogue.
The architect of the synagogue, which cost £3,200 to build, was Delissa Joseph. Three local residents initiated the project:
Isaac Morris, a furniture dealer, dentist Isaac Sandheim, and Joseph Levy, who had a clothing business. Mr Levy was subsequently warden for 24 years,
and later became the borough's first Jewish mayor.
Last year, the congregation yielded its second mayor — Joseph Mirwitch, a solicitor, who was Chatan Bereshit at the same time.
The synagogue was consecrated in September, 1890. It was later extended to cater for the growing congregation, which came from the communities of
Fulham, Putney, Ealing, Acton, Richmond and Kew. The first minister to be appointed was the Rev Michael
Adler, who was also reader, secretary and superintendent of the religious classes, which had 36 children by the end of its first year.
He served until 1903, and was succeeded the following year by the Rev Solomon Adler (no relation}, who was the only son of the then Chief Rabbi.
Owing to ill health, Mr Adler retired in 1908, and was succeeded by the Rev Solomon Lipson (1909-1938).
During the Second World War, Hammersmith Synagogue had the services of Rabbi Ephraim Moses Levy,
and Rabbi Dr Ernest Wiesenberg, who ministered for four years, until the end of the war.
Senior warden, Moss Amias, told LONDON EXTRA: "In the early 1940s, many Jewish people began to move into the area.
At one time, there were over 50 doctors in the congregation. When I used to sit in the body of the synagogue, before my elevation to the wardens box,
I was the only patient in my block."
Hammersmith's emeritus minister, the Rev Sam Venitt, joined the synagogue in 1946, retiring in 1988 after 42 years' service to
the congregation. During the earlier years, the Hebrew classes flourished with 80 children attending in 1950. Today, there is no longer a
religion school, and the membership, which peaked at about 600, has settled at "a fairly static 300", according to Mr Arram.
Hammersmith & West Kensington Synagogue congregation page
Research by
Steven Jaffe |
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.