West Central Liberal Jewish Synagogue

Congregation Data

West Central Liberal Jewish Synagogue

West Central Liberal Jewish Congregation (until about 1961⁽ⁱ⁾)

The Montagu Centre (name adopted 1970), 21 Maple Street (also known as 109-113 Whitfield Street), London W1T 4BE, from 1954 until early 2020.⁽ⁱⁱ⁾

Following the destruction of the building housing the synagogue in 1941 (see below), the congregation held services in a number of locations from 1941 to 1954. including Whitfield Tabernacle, London W1; Mary Ward Settlement, off Woburn Place, London WC1; 2 Fitzroy Square, London W1; 82 Charlotte Street, London W1; and 51 Palace Court, London W2⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾

Previously, the synagogue was situated at Club House at Alfred Place, Bedford Square, London WC1. The building was destroyed in 1941 in a German bombing raid, which killed 27 victims sheltering in the Club in the basement. List of those killed in the bombing.

The Alfred Place address (adjacent to the then Western Synagogue building, also destroyed in the 1941 bombing) had been the premises of the West Central Jewish Girls Club since 1914 and on the formal establishment of the congregation in 1928 the premises were also used the congregation. (See "Formation" below for further information) (initially by the West Central Branch of the Jewish Religious Union (the precursor of the ULPS).

Although the congregation formally held its first services in September 1928, its roots are much earlier. The congregation was founded by Lilian Helen Montagu (affectionately known as Miss Lily"), who together with her sister Marian and a friend, Emily Harris, established a club for Jewish working girls, the West Central Jewish Girls Club, which in 1893 rented two rooms at 71 Dean Street, Soho, London W1. Since many of the girls were forced to work five and half days each week, including Saturday mornings, the Club held Sabbath day services on Saturday afternoons, generally led by "Miss Lily".

At the same time, Lily Montagu became very involved in the establishment of the progressive Judaism in Britain and, together with Claude Montefiore, helped found the Jewish Religious Union in 1902 (the forerunner of Liberal Judaism).

In 1913, the services held at the Club became the West Central Branch of the Jewish Religious Union. However there was a lack of both finance and men. Accordingly, it was not until 1928 that they could officially form a congregation, largely through the assistance of Rabbi Solomon Starrels, the Third Minister of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue. The services had mainly been conducted by Lily Montagu prior to 1928 and even after the establishment of the congregation, Lily Montagu continued to hold the office of "Chairman and Lay Minister" until her death in 1963.

The legacy website of the congregation, being the website of the Chavurah Group of the congregation, (https://www.wclslegacy.net) provides the following information:

Due to the Covid 19 lockdown, from early 2020 the congregation could no longer meet physically and the space at the Maple Street premises deteriorated and became unusable. For a while the reduced congregation met using a Zoom video link or physically at Westminster Synagogue in Kensington. However in January 2022, the congregation formally ceased to exist.

Following the dissolution of the congregation, the Chavurah Group was established which generally meets and holds services every month at the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in St John’s Wood, London. These services are led by Rabbi Jackie Tabick (see below) or members of the group.

Liberal Progressive

The congregation was a constituent synagogue of Liberal Judaism (formerly the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues- ULPS) from its founding.

https://www.wclslegacy.net

The Hon. Lilian Helen (Lily) Montagu, JP (until 1963)^(iv)

From 1928 to 1938, the congregation was assisted by the following ministers, primarily from the Liberal Jewish Synagogue:^(v)

Rabbi Dr. Solomon Elihu Starrels - from 1928 until 1933

Rev. Maurice L. Perlzweig - from 1933 until 1934

Rabbi David Jacobson - from 1934 until 1936

Rev. Maurice L. Perlzweig - from 1936 until 1938

From 1938 to 1946, Miss Lily Montagu was the sole minister, assisted from time to time by a multitude of visiting rabbis.^(v)

Rev. Dr. Frederick K. (“Fritz”) Solomonski (later Rabbi Frederick Solomon) - from 1946 until about 1954^(vi)

Joseph Ascher, MA (first term) - from 1955 until 1967^(vii)

Rabbi Roger Victor Pavey - assistant minister from about 1965 until 1967, then minister until about 1971^(viii)

Joseph Ascher, MA (second term) - from about 1971 until 1973^(vii)

Rabbi Lawrence Rigál - from 1973 until about 1985^(ix)

Rabbi Hillel Avidan - from 1985 until 1992^(x)

Rabbi Mark L. Solomon - from about 1992 until about 2000^(xi)

Rabbi Janet Burden - from about 2002 until about 2014^(xii)

Rabbi Dr. Jacqueline (Jackie) Tabick - from 2014 until January 2022^(xiii)

Cantor Rev. Adrian Harmon - from about 1991 until about 2020^(xiv)

Vice Chairman & Joint Vice Chairmen^(xv)

Miss N.G. Levy - from about 1939 until about 1956

Dr. L. Garrett - from about 1950 until about 1956

The Hon. Marian Montagu - from about 1951 to about 1956

S.L. Langdon - from about 1954 until about 1955

Hon. Secretary

Miss Jessie Levy - from about 1939 until about 1980^(xvi)

Hon. Treasurer

Miss Lyddie Tasch - from about 1939 until about 1940^(xvii)

Miss Jessie Levy - from about 1940 until about 1980^(xvi)(jointly with Mr. J. Joseph from about 1951 until about 1956^(xviii))

Jewish Year Book

1939 - 249 ordinary members plus 48 associate members and 2 burial members^(xxi)

National Reports and Surveys^(xxii)

1977 - 101 male members and 113 female members

1983 - 76 male members and 95 female members

1990 - 146 members (households)

1996 - 74 members (comprising 17 households, 9 individual male and 48 individual female members)

2010 & 2016 - listed as having 50 to 99 members (by household)

All the above addresses at which the congregation held services, apart from Palace Court, are in the London Borough of Camden, and were, until 1965, in the former Metropolitan Borough of Holborn within the former County of London.^(xxiii)

Camden^(xxiv) - Link to Register Office website

See London Cemeteries of Liberal Judaism.

Notes & Sources (↵ returns to text above)

• (i) This was the name under which the congregation was listed in Jewish Year Books from its first entry, in 1940, until 1961. ↵

• (ii) The initial building was built in stages, the synagogue being moved upstairs in 1960, when the upper floors were built. In 1970, part of the building became (and remains) the offices of the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues (now Liberal Judaism). In the 1990s, the site was redeveloped, the original building being demolished and replaced by a mixture of housing, offices (including that of Liberal Judaism) and the synagogue (source: various sources, as set out in Bibliography, below). During the 1990s redevelopment, the congregation's temporary address was 12/14 Clipstone Street, London W1P 7DF (Jewish Year Books 1934 and 1935). ↵

• (iii) The Whitfield Tabernacle and Mary Ward Settlement addresses are mention in the Lost Synagogues of London by P. Renton, (2000) p. 158, the other addresses are listed in Jewish Year Books - Fitzroy Square (1945/6 through 1948 editions), Charlotte Street (1949 through 1952 editions) and Palace Court (1953 and 1954 editions). ↵

• (iv) Based upon Lily Montagu's listing as chairman and lay minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1940 (the first appearance of the congregation) through 1963. Apart from Lily Montagu, there were no listings of a minister for the congregation prior to 1949. ↵

• (v) The congregation's Chavurah Group website, accessed December 2023. Those visiting rabbis that assisted Miss Lily Montagu included: Rabbi Dr Israel Mattuck, Rabbi Dr Harold Reinhart, Rev. Leslie Edgar, Rev. Vivian Simmons, Rev. Philip Cohen, Rev. Stanley Solomons, Rabbi Dr Bruno Italiener, Rabbi Dr Rudolf Brash, Rabbi Dr Werner van der Zyl, Rabbi Dr Heinrich Lemle, Rabbi Ernst Sawady, Rabbi Dr Georg Salzberger, Rabbi Curtis Cassell, Rabbi Jakob Kokotek and Rabbi Dr Leo Baeck. ↵

• (vi) Rabbi Solomonski's start year is based upon the list of rabbis on the congregation's Chavurah Group website, accessed December 2023, which also gives an end year as 1955. However, according to his online biography, he left England in 1954. "Dr F. Solomonski" is listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1949 through 1954 (which is also consistent with a 1954 end year). ↵

• (vii) Both terms of office of Mr. Ascher's are as per the list of rabbis on the congregation's Chavurah Group website, accessed December 2023 (except that there is a typographical error in the list that shows the second term as commencing in 1979 - six years before it ended). Mr. Ascher is listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1956 through 1968 (and there is no reference to a second term ). There was no minister listed in the 1955 edition. ↵

• (viii) Based upon Rabbi Pavey's listing in Jewish Year Books as assistant minister from 1966 through 1968 and the list of rabbis on the congregation's Chavurah Group website, accessed December 2023. He is also listed as minister of the congregation in the 1969 and 1970 editions (which would normally indicate a term of office from 1968 through 1970). ↵

• (ix) As per the list of rabbis on the congregation's Chavurah Group website, accessed December 2023, consistent with Rabbi Rigál's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1974 through 1985. ↵

• (x) Based upon Rabbi Avidan's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1986 through 1994. He is not shown in the list of rabbis on the congregation's Chavurah Group website, accessed December 2023. ↵

• (xi) Based upon Rabbi Solomon's profile on Liberal Judaism's website and his listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1995 through 2000. The list of rabbis on the congregation's Chavurah Group website, accessed December 2023, gives his term of office as 1985-1998, which appears to be incorrect. ↵

• (xii) Based upon Rabbi Burden's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 2003 through 2014. The list of rabbis on the congregation's Chavurah Group website, accessed December 2023, gives her start date as 1998, which appears to be incorrect. There was no minister listed in the editions for 2001, 2002 or 2015 (the last publication). The list of rabbis on the congregation's Chavurah Group website, accessed December 2023, gives her start date as 1998, which appears to be incorrect. ↵

• (xiii) As stated on the congregation's website, last accessed 6 January 2021, Rabbi Tabick leads the Shabbat and Festival services and provides education classes and other activities during the week, although there is no indication when these started although the website, accessed 4 February 2017, already referred to her leading the services. ↵

• (xiv) Based upon Cantor Harmon's listing as reader or cantor of the congregation in Jewish Year Books from 1992 through 2015 (the last publication) and reference to her on the congregation's website, when accessed 22 May 2019, but no longer mentioned, when accessed 30 December 2020. ↵

• (xv) These names are as listed in Jewish Year Books from 1940 (the year in which the congregation was first listed) through 1956. Thereafter the Jewish Year Book ceased listing vice-chairmen of the congregation. The dates given here commence from the year prior to the first relevant listing until the year of the last listing. ↵

• (xvi) Based upon Miss Levy being listed as the congregation's hon. secretary in Jewish Year Books from 1940 through 1980. She is also listed from 1945/6 as Treasurer (or as a Joint Treasurer as regards Jewish Year Books from 1952 through 1956). ↵

• (xvii) Based upon Miss Tasch being listed as the congregation's hon. secretary in the Jewish Year Book 1940. ↵

• (xviii) Based upon Mr. Joseph's listing as joint secretary in the Jewish Year Books 1952 through 1956. ↵

• (xix) and (xx) Reserved.

• (xxi) Jewish Year Book 1940. ↵

• (xxii) Reports on synagogue membership in the United Kingdom, published by or on behalf of the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BoD)and which can be viewed on the website of the Institute of Jewish Policy Research. Click HERE for links to the various reports. In compiling the report for 2010, the size of membership of this congregation was inferred from 2005 data as it was not possible for the BoD to obtain the data direct. ↵

• (xxiii) The London Borough of Camden, an Inner London Borough within the Greater London administrative area, was created on 1 April 1965 upon the merger of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn and St. Pancras, all of which had been within the (then abolished) County of London (established in 1899). ↵

• (xxiv) The former Registration Districts were: St Pancras, from 1 April 1965 until 1 October 1977; and Holborn, from the formation of Congregation until 1 April 1965. All registers would now be held by the current register office. ↵