North Western Reform Synagogue
51°34′46″N 0°11′47″W / 51.5794°N 0.1964°W / 51.5794; -0.1964
The North Western Reform Synagogue, commonly known as Alyth,[a] is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at Temple Fortune, Golders Green, in the Borough of Barnet, north-west London, England, in the United Kingdom.
Overview
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1f/Alyth_logo.jpg)
The congregation was founded in 1933, and its building was built in Alyth Gardens in 1936, on land carved out from the West London Synagogue’s cemetery in Hoop Lane.[2] In 1942, the congregation became a founding member of Associated British Synagogue, now known as the Movement for Reform Judaism.[3] With approximately 2,500 adult and 1,000 child members, the congregation is one of the largest Reform synagogues in the United Kingdom.[citation needed]
In 1958, the (Leo Baeck Centre was completed and in 2004 social spaces were expanded and a kindergarten completed.[citation needed]
In 2021 its members approved a £6 million upgrade to the synagogue building.[4]
Clergy
The following individuals have served as rabbi of the congregation:[2]
Ordinal | Officeholder | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Solomon Starrels | 1933 | 1938 | 4–5 years | |
2 | Maurice Perlzweig | 1938 | 1942 | 13–14 years | Also chair of the World Union of Jewish Students in 1933 and had helped to create the World Jewish Congress |
− | Vivian Simmons | 1942 | 1943 | 0–1 years | Acting, on secondment from West London Synagogue |
3 | Dr Werner van der Zyl | 1943 | 1958 | 14–15 years | Also founder and president of Leo Baeck College[2] |
4 | Philip Cohen | 1958 | 1972 | 13–14 years | |
5 | Dow Marmur | 1972 | 1983 | 10–11 years | |
6 | Charles Emanuel | 1983 | 2003 | 19–20 years | |
7 | Laura Janner-Klausner | 2003 | 2011 | 7–8 years | Later Senior Rabbi at the Movement for Reform Judaism[5] |
8 | Mark Goldsmith | 2006 | 2019 | 12–13 years | Later Senior Rabbi at Edgware & Hendon Reform Synagogue in 2019 |
9 | Josh Levy | 2008 | 2023 | 14–15 years | Emeritus; later Chief Executive of the Movement for Reform Judaism in 2023 |
10 | Colin Eimer | 2015 | incumbent | 8–9 years | |
11 | Hannah Kingston | 2017 | incumbent | 6–7 years | |
12 | Elliott Karstadt | 2020 | incumbent | 3–4 years | |
13 | Golan Ben-Chorin | 2024 | incumbent | 0 years |
Notable members
- Leo Baeck, a German rabbi, scholar and theologian who served as president of the congregation from 1947 to 1956
- Norman Bentwich, a barrister and legal academic, who served as president of the congregation from 1958 to 1971
See also
- History of the Jews in England
- List of Jewish communities in the United Kingdom
- List of synagogues in the United Kingdom
Notes
References
- ^ "About: Find us". Alyth website.[self-published source?]
- ^ a b c "Our history". Alyth website. Retrieved 9 January 2016.[self-published source?]
- ^ "North Western Reform Synagogue". Jewish Communities and Records – UK. JewishGen and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ Toberman, Barry (3 March 2021). "Members approve £6 million upgrade for Golders Green shul". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- ^ Rocker, Simon (21 July 2011). "Meet the media-savvy voice of Reform Judaism". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
External links
- Official website
- v
- t
- e
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Star_of_David.svg/15px-Star_of_David.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png)
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Movement for Reform Judaism
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