Mill Hill United Synagogue

London, NW7

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Mill Hill Synagogue

Mill Hill United Synagogue, June 2018
© David Shulman 2018

Congregation Data⁽ⁱ⁾

Name:

Mill Hill United Synagogue

Former Names⁽ⁱⁱ⁾:

Mill Hill Synagogue (from about 1977 to at least 2014)

Mill Hill District Synagogue (from 1960 until about 1977)

Mill Hill & District Hebrew Congregation (from 1950 until 1960)

Mill Hill Hebrew Congregation (until 1950)

Address:

^(iv)

The congregation's address is Station Road, Mill Hill NW7 2JU.

In 1952, the congregation purchased (for £7,500) an old house known as "Whyteleafe", I Sylvan Avenue, Mill Hill, which is a corner plot extending from Sylvan Close along Station Road and backing onto Brockenhurst Gardens. The house was was converted into a synagogue and consecrated in 1955.

The building was further expanded over subsequent years and in the late 1960 worked commenced on the erection of a new purpose built synagogue on the site with its main entrance in Brockenhurst Gardens, which was consecrated on 28th November 1971, and the congregation commenced using Brockenhurst Gardens, Mill Hill, London NW7 2JY as its address.

Further development took place and was completed in 2013, with extensive refurbishing in 2014 and 2015, and the congregation commenced using Station Road as its address.⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾

Prior to the purchase of "Whyteleafe", services were held in a private house at 584 Watford Way, Mill Hill NW7.

Current Status:

Active

Date Formed:

June 1949

Ritual:

Ashkenazi Orthodox

Affiliation:

Joined the United Synagogue as an affiliated synagogue in 1950, subsequently becoming a district synagogue in 1960.^(v) In about 1976, all existing district synagogues, including the congregation, received constituent (full member) status.

(A second United Synagogue congregation in Mill Hill - Mill Hill East Jewish Community, was founded in 2016.)

Website:

http://www.shul.co.uk

Ministers & Rabbinical Team:
(To view a short profile of a minister or cantor whose name appears in blue - hold the cursor over his name.)

Rev. Louis Jakob (part-time) - from 1949 until 1953^(viii)

Rev. Ivor L. Abrams (part-time) - from 1953 until about 1958/9^(ix)

Rev. (later Rabbi) Shlomo P. Cutler (& Rebbetzen Judith Cutler) - from 1959 until 1993^(x)

Rabbi Yitzchak Y. Schochet, MA (& Rebbetzen Chani Schochet) - from 1993 until present (May 2025)^(xi)

Rabbi David Rose (& Rebbetzen Talya Rose) - Assistant Rabbi from July 2018 until present (May 2025)^(xii)

Readers (Cantors):

Rev. Michael Binstock - assistant reader in mid-1960s^(xiv)

Rev. Dov Speier - from about 1978 until about 1980^(xv)

Rev. Richard Rosten - from about 1980 until about 1982^(xvi)

Rev. Stephen Cotsen - from about 1982 until about 1984^(xvii)

Rev. Daniel Rosenthal - from about 1987 until about 1990^(xviii)

Rev. M. Simon - from about 1991 until about 1994^(xix)

Rev. Jonny Turgel (part-time) - from about 2005 to about 2007^(xx)

Lay Officers (to 1950s):^(xxi)

Chairman

1949-1951 - J.S. Burke

Wardens

1951-1952 - J.S. Burke & K. Beutel

1952-1954 - J.S. Burke & D.A. Brill

1954-1955 - D.A. Brill & N. Goldrich

1955-1956 - D.A. Brill & V. Landau

Financial Representative

1949-1952 - S. Goldrich

1952-1954 - N. Goldrich

1954-1956 - M. Maltz

Hon. Secretaries

1949-1958 - E. Lewis

1958-1971 - M. Guest

Membership Data:

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

1950

1960

1970

65

267

374

Congregation's Website ^(xxv)

1952

1960

75 families

238 families

National Reports & Surveys^(xxvi)

1977 - 416 male (or household) members and 84 female members

1983 - 468 male (or household) members and 106 female members

1990 - 608 members (comprising 599 households, 8 individual male and 1 individual female member)

1996 - 654 members (comprising 616 households, 23 individual male and 15 individual female members)

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

2016 - listed as having 1,000 to 1,499 members (by household)

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 - Mill Hill Synagogue and Amenities Fund, a former registered charity (no. 1034856), which had been registered on 10 March 1994 and was removed from the register on 11 November 2008.^(xxviii)

Local Government District:

Mill Hill, a residential suburb in Northwest London just to the east of Edgware, is in the London Borough of Barnet,^(xxix) and was (until 1965) in the former Municipal Borough of Hendon.

Bibliography - Barnet

Registration District (BMD):

Barnet^(xxx) - Link to Register Office website

Cemetery
Information:

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

Notes & Sources (↵ returns to text above)

(i) Unless otherwise stated, the source of all data below is the History of the Congregation on the congregation's website, accessed 7 June 2020. ↵

(ii) The dates shown are approximate, reflecting the changes in name of the congregation, as listed in Jewish Year Books. In the final edition of the book (2015),the congregation was still listed simply as "Mill Hill Synagogue" although, from at least 2018, it has styled itself as "Mill Hill United Synagogue". ↵

(iii) The addresses under which the congregation was listed in Jewish Year Books were; "Whyteleafe" 1, Sylvan Way (1953 through 1969); 1 Sylvan Way (1970 through 1972); Brockenhurst Gardens (1973 through 2014); and Station Road (2015). ↵

(iv) The plaques are situated on the wall of the Synagogue Hall. To view an enlaged image of the plaques in a new window, click on the image of the plaques. ↵

(v) The United Synagogue 1870-1970 by Aubrey Newman (1977), pp. 221/2. ↵

(vi) and (vii) Reserved.

(viii) Part 1 of the History of the congregation on the congregation's website. Rev. Jakob's term of office is not mentioned in any Jewish Year Book. ↵

(ix) Although the History of the congregation (part 3) on the congregation's website refers to Rev. (later Rabbi) Abrams as part-time minister and in a 1955 Order of Service he isr eferrred to as minister/reader, he is listed Jewish Year Books (1955 through 1958) as reader. ↵

(x) Based upon "Who's Who" entries in Jewish Year Books (latest 2009). ↵

(xi) Congregation's website, last accessed May 2025. ↵

(vii) Congregation's website, last accessed May 2025. ↵

(xiii) Reserved.

(xiv) According to Jolles's Encyclopaedia of Chazanim, etc (2024 edition) p.309, he held this post before being appointed to Hull in 1967. ↵

(xv) Based upon Rev. Speier's listing as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1979 and 1980. ↵

(xvi) Based upon Rev. Rosten's listing as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1981 and 1982. ↵

(xvii) Based upon Rev. Cotsen's listing as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1983 and 1984. There were no readers listed for 1986 and 1987 editions. ↵

(xviii) Based upon Rev. Rosenthal's listing as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1988 through 1990. There was no reader listed for 1991 edition. ↵

(xix) Based upon Rev. Simon's listing as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1992 through 1994. There were no readers listed in subsequent editions. ↵

(xx) Cantor Jonny Turgel's website. ↵

(xxi) 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 1954, it is assumed that he commenced office in 1949 and continued in office until 1954). 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. ↵

(xxii) and (xxiii) Reserved.

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

(xxv) History on the Congregation's website. ↵

(xxvi) 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. ↵

(xxvii) Reserved.

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

(xxix) 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). ↵

(xxx) 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

Greater London home page

Page created: 16 October 2006
Data significantly expanded and notes first added: 13 May 2018
Subsequent significantly expansion of data: 7 June 2020
Page most recently amended: 7 May 2025

Research and formatting by David Shulman

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