North London Progressive Synagogue

Congregation Data

North London Progressive Synagogue

North London Liberal Synagogue (from about 1927 until about 1947)⁽ⁱ⁾

North London Liberal Jewish Synagogue (from formation until about 1927)⁽ⁱⁱ⁾

100 Amhurst Park, London N16 5AR
The building was originally a methodist church, damaged by enemy action in World War II, restored as the Amhurst Park Halls and acquired by the congregation in 1955. It was converted for use as a synagogue and the main hall was reconstructed in 1961, employing the architect Derek J. Sharp, ARIBA.⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾

30 Amhurst Park, London N16 (from about 1946 until 1955)^(iv)
Prior thereto at various addresses, including 69 Stamford Hill N16, Stoke Newington Church Street N16 and Belfast Road N16.^(v)

1921^(vii)

Closed about 2002. (Part of the former membership shortly thereafter established the North London Progressive Jewish Community, now known as Kehillah North London.)

Liberal Progressive

The congregation was a constituent synagogue of Liberal Judaism (formerly the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues and previously, the Jewish Religious Union) from, or from shortly following, the congregation's founding.

Rev. Maurice L. Perlzweig, MA - from formation in 1921 until 1938^(ix)

Rabbi Dr. Rudolph Brasch - from about 1938 until about 1948^(x)

(S. Solomons - assistant minister in about 1947/1948^(xi))

Rev. Vivian George Simmons - from 1948 until 1956^(xii)

Rev. Herbert Richer^(xiii) - from about 1955 until about 1969

Rabbi Sidney Brichto - possibly about 1969^(xiv)

Rabbi Douglas Charing - from about 1970 until about 1972^(xv)

Rabbi Bernard Hooker - from about 1975 until 1991 and thereafter emeritus rabbi until about 2000^(xvi) 

Rabbi Marcia Plumb, MA - from about 1994 until about 2000^(xvii) 

Rabbi Dr. Michael Hilton - from about 2000 until about 2002^(xviii) 

Rev. E. Lewandowski - from about 1949 until 1967^(xx)

H. Danziger^(xxi) - from about 1967 until about 1973

Rev. P. Cohen - from about 1973 until about 1975^(xxii)

R. Goring^(xxiii) - from about 1986 until about 1994

The Hon. Lilian Helen (Lily) Montagu, JP, President - from about 1928 until about 1930^(xxv)

The Marchioness of Reading, President - from about 1937 until about 1939^(xxvi)

The Right Hon. Lord Melchett, Hon. President - from about 1936 until about 1939^(xxvii)

J. Amstell - c.1927 to c.1928

R. Norton - c.1928 to c.1934

Rev. Maurice L. Pertzweig, MA^(ix)- c.1934 to c. 1938

S. Solomons - c.1938 to c.1947

A. Lever - c.1947 to c.1949 and c.1950 to 1952

Miss S. Korn - c.1949 to c.1950

J. Kaye - c.1952 to c.1956

Jewish Year Books^(xxx)

National Reports & Surveys^(xxxi)

1977 - 599 male members and an estimated 599 female members

1983 - 603 male members and an estimated 602 female members

1990 - 707 members (comprising 500 households, 96 individual male and 111 individual female members)

1996 - 824 members (comprising 462 households, 137 individual male and 225 individual female members)

No information found as to registered charity status.

All addresses of the congregation are now in the London Borough of Hackney.^(xxxii)

Until 1965, Amhurst Park and Stoke Newington Church Street were in the former Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington, and Stamford Hill and Belfast Road were in the former Metropolitan Borough of Hackney (both established 1900).

Hackney^(xxxiii) - Link to Register Office website

See London Cemeteries of Liberal Judaism.

Notes & Sources (↵ returns to text above)

• (i) This is the address under which the congregation was listed in Jewish Year Books from 1928 until 1947. ↵

• (ii) This is the address under which the congregation was listed in from the fist listing of the congregation in Jewish Year Book 1922 until the 1927 edition.. ↵

• (iii) The Synagogues of London (1993) by Paul Lindsay, pages 90/91 and Appendix I. To view a description of the Jewish architectural works by D.J. Sharp, hold your cursor over his name ↵

• (iv) This was the address given for the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1947 through 1955. ↵

• (v) The addresses given in the relevant Jewish Year Books are: 69 Stamford Hill (solely in the 1945/6 edition), the Library, Church Street (editions 1937 through 1940); Belfast Road (editions 1928 through 1936); Defoe Rooms, Defoe Road, Church Street (editions 1924 through 1927); and the Library, Edward's Lane, Church Street (1922 and 1923 editions)  ↵

• (vi) Reserved.

• (vii) Jewish Year Books. ↵

• (viii) Reserved.

• (ix) Rev. Perlzweig is listed as minister of this congregation in the Jewish Year Books from 1922 through 1938 (as well as chairman of the congregation in the editions from 1935 through 1938). ↵

• (x) Rabbi Dr. Brasch is listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1939 through 1948. ↵

• (xi) Based upon S. Solomons's listing as assistant minister solely in the Jewish Year Book 1948. He was listed as chairman of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1939 through 1947. ↵

• (xii) Based upon Rev. Simmons's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1949 through 1956 and his entry in the Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History. ↵

• (xiii) Based upon Rev. Richer's listing as minister in Jewish Year Books 1956 through 1969. ↵

• (xiv) A short history of the congregation on the City of London website, stated that "In 1969, Reverend Richer retired and was succeeded by Rabbi Sidney Brichto followed by Bernard Hooker (1975)", no other reference has so far been found to Rabbi Brichto with regard to this congregation in Jewish Year Books or elsewhere. ↵

• (xv) Based upon Rabbi Charing's listing as minister in Jewish Year Books 1971 and 1972. ↵

• (xvi) Based upon Rabbi Hookers's listing in Jewish Year Books 1976 to 1991 (although the edition for 1976 refers to him as reader, this is assumed to be an error) and as Emeritus 1992 through 2000. ↵

• (xvii) Based upon Rabbi Plumb's listing as minister in Jewish Year Books 1995 to 2000. ↵

• (xviii) Based upon Rabbi Hilton's listing as minister in Jewish Year Books 2001 and 2002.  ↵

• (xix) Reserved.

• (xx) Based upon Rev. Lewandowski's listing as reader for the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1950 through 1967, except for 1957. It is unclear whether 1957 was an omission or whether he stepped down for the year. ↵

• (xxi) Based upon Mr. Danziger's listing as reader for the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1968 through 1973. ↵

• (xxii) Based upon Rev. Cohen's listing as reader for the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1974 and 1975. This is believed to refer to Rev. Philip Cohen, although this is by no means certain. ↵

• (xxiii) Based upon Mr. Goring's listing as cantor of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1987 through 1994. ↵

• (xxiv) Reserved.

• (xxv) Based upon Lily Montagu's listing as president of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1928 through 1930. ↵

• (xxvi) Based upon the Mrachioness's listing as president of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1938 and 1939. ↵

• (xxvii) Based upon Lord Melchett's listing as hon. president of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1937 through 1939. ↵

• (xxviii) Reserved.

• (xxix) These names have been extracted from Jewish Year Books 1928 through 1956. There was no listing of a chairman prior to 1928, and such listing ceased in 1957 (not to reappear until the late 1990s). The dates given here commence from the year prior to the first relevant listing until the year of the last listing. ↵

• (xxx) In each case, the date given here is the year prior to the year of the Year Book. ↵

• (xxxi) 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. ↵

• (xxxii) The London Borough of Hackney, an Inner London Borough within the Greater London administrative area, was created on 1 April 1965 upon the merger of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Hackney, Stoke Newington and Shoreditch (all of which had been in the former County of London, established 1889). ↵

• (xxxiii) For the addresses that were in the Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington, the former Registration District from 1 April 1930 until 1 July 1979 was Stoke Newington. All registers would now be held by the current register office. ↵