Richmond Synagogue

Richmond Synagogue
Basic information
Location Lichfield Gardens, Richmond TW9 1AP
Geographic coordinates 51°27′44″N 0°17′59″W / 51.46219°N 0.29967°W / 51.46219; -0.29967Coordinates: 51°27′44″N 0°17′59″W / 51.46219°N 0.29967°W / 51.46219; -0.29967
Affiliation United Synagogue
Rite Orthodox Judaism
Municipality London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Status Active
Leadership Rabbi Meir Shindler
Website www.richmondsynagogue.org.uk
Architectural description
Architect(s) Stern Thom Fehler Architects
Completed 1987
Plaques inside the synagogue

Richmond Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish community in Richmond, London. The congregation, whose synagogue building is in Lichfield Gardens, has 250 members[1] and is a member community of the United Synagogue.[2]

History

A Jewish community is known to have existed in Richmond in the late 17th century. King William III dined with Solomon de Medina, a Jewish businessman, at his country house in Richmond in November 1699.[3]

Until 1916 Richmond's Jewish religious community was known as the Richmond Hebrew Congregation and from 1916 to 1938 it met at Central Hall, Parkshot, Richmond,[4] a building opened on 28 June 1916 by Leopold de Rothschild, the then President of the United Synagogue.[5] From 1938 it met at a converted chapel at 8 Sheen Road which was later compulsorily purchased by Richmond upon Thames Council to make way for a Waitrose supermarket and multi-storey car park.[4][6]

Designed by Stern Thom Fehler Architects,[7] a new purpose-built synagogue building at Lichfield Gardens was opened on 8 March 1987 by Chief Rabbi Sir Immanuel Jakobovits and Rabbi Moshe Barron. A rabbi's house was later built on part of the synagogue's car park.[5]

People

Richmond Synagogue's rabbi, since 2015, is Meir Shindler.[1][8] Previous rabbis have included Maurice Ginsberg (1922–61),[5] Yitzchak Schochet (1991–93),[9] Jonathan Hughes (2013–15)[10][11][12] and Yossi Ives (2003–12).[13] Notable congregants have included Eldred Tabachnik and Lord Woolf.[5]

Activities

Services are held on Friday evenings at 7:00 pm and on Saturday mornings at 9.30 am.[14] The synagogue operates a day centre for Jewish people over 60.[15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Jackman, Josh (1 July 2016). "Minister stabilises ton-up Richmond". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  2. ↑ "Richmond". Communities. United Synagogue. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Greenstreet, Anthony (1998). "Sir Solomon de Medina of Richmond". Richmond History: Journal of the Richmond Local History Society. 19: 32–35.
  4. 1 2 "Richmond & South West London: History". jtrails.org.uk. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Savinson, Richard. "History of the Richmond Jewish Community". Richmond Synagogue. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "Richmond Synagogue". JCR-UK. JewishGen and Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "New synagogue in Richmond". Portfolio. Stern Thom Fehler Architects. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  8. ↑ "Richmond selects its leading couple". The Jewish Chronicle. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "Rabbi Yitzchak Y. Schochet M.A.". Mill Hill United Synagogue. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  10. ↑ "Richmond United Synagogue Welcome New Rabbinic Couple". News. United Synagogue. 20 March 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  11. ↑ Dyduch, Amy (30 November 2013). "From Reading Football Club to Richmond Synagogue". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  12. ↑ Rocker, Simon (23 July 2015). "'Poaching' row over Radlett's rabbi". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  13. ↑ "Welcome to Richmond, Rabbi". Richmond and Twickenham Times. 26 March 2004. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  14. ↑ "Service times". Richmond Synagogue. 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  15. ↑ "Richmond Synagogue Day Centre". Housingcare.org. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2016.

Further reading

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