United Synagogue

Union of British Orthodox Jewish synagogues

For the American Conservative synagogue association, see United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

United Synagogue

Abbreviation| The US
Formation| 1870[1]
Founder| Nathan Marcus Adler[1][2]
Registration no.| 242552
Headquarters| 305 Ballards Lane, North Finchley, London, N12 8GB

Membership

| 56 synagogues; 36,000+ members

Key people

| Michael Goldstein (President)
Jo Grose (Chief Executive)

Revenue

| £35,095,000
Expenses| £30,656,000

Staff

| 637

Volunteers

| 1,000
Website| www.theus.org.uk
Source: UK Charity Commission[3][4][5]

The United Synagogue (US) is a union of British Orthodox Jewish synagogues, representing the central Orthodox movement in Judaism. With 56 congregations comprising 36,000+ members,[3] it is the largest synagogue body in Europe.[6] The spiritual head of the union is the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth—a title that bears some formal recognition by the Crown.

## History

[edit]

Nathan Marcus Adler, Chief Rabbi and founder of the United Synagogue

The United Synagogue was mandated by an Act of Parliament in 1870,[1] granting formal recognition to a union of three London synagogues forged by Nathan Marcus Adler,[1] who bore the title of Chief Rabbi of the British Empire. Leaders of the organization included Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild, who served as president in 1910.

At the time of its inception, the United Synagogue was the dominant force in Jewish communal and religious organisation,[7] though the organisation lost some of its hegemony in the 1880s with mass immigration of Eastern European Jews, who brought with them strains of Hasidic Judaism, Reform Judaism, and Jewish secularism.

In 1887, Jewish community leader Samuel Montagu created the Federation of Synagogues, which worked to unite Orthodox synagogues of Russian and other eastern European Jewish immigrants living in the slums of East London. Today, the Federation serves 21 synagogues,[8] and the United Synagogue, 56. There are other Orthodox synagogues unaffiliated with the United Synagogue in Britain, including Haredi, Chabad, and other shuls. In addition, there are congregations of Reform, Masorti, and Liberal Jews that are not included in the United Synagogue. Thus, today, the organisation represents roughly only 30% of all British Jewish congregants. Since 1990, centrist Orthodoxy has declined from 66% to 55% of religious Jews, but this decline has flattened out recently.[9]

In 1970, the United Synagogue celebrated its centenary. Events included a special service held at the St. Johns Wood Synagogue, an exhibition of Jewish artifacts held at the Christies Auction Rooms, and a celebratory banquet held at the Dorchester Hotel in the presence of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. This was the first time that the Queen had attended an event held by the Anglo-Jewish community; the Duke of Edinburgh had previously attended the tercentenary commemoration of the return of Jews to England during the rule of Oliver Cromwell.

Over time, the United Synagogue has closed synagogues in areas of Jewish decline, including many grand cathedral-type synagogues, such as Bayswater (to make way for the Westway road), New Cross, Brixton (one of the very few large United Synagogues south of the Thames), the Great Synagogue, East London, Hammersmith, Cricklewood, Egerton Road, Lofting Road, and Dalston, while opening new synagogues in areas of Jewish growth, especially in the north-western suburbs of London, such as Borehamwood, Edgware, Barnet, and other communities. Seven of the present United Synagogue buildings feature the stained glass windows of the twentieth-century artist David Hillman;[10] the most extensive collection, with over 100 windows, is at the St. Johns Wood Synagogue. Some of the closed synagogues, such as Lofting Road or Dalston, were demolished and replaced by other buildings. Some were converted to different religious denominations, with Hammersmith now functioning as a church. In one case, the synagogue on Egerton Road was bought by a local Haredi group (Bobov) and still maintains a strong Jewish presence.[citation needed]

Egerton Road synagogue

Much of the previous formality of the United Synagogue, such as the wearing of clerical canonicals by its clergy and waistcoats and top hats by its wardens, has disappeared. The synagogues use modern Hebrew vernacular for prayers. The Finchley (Kinloss) synagogue, one of the largest of the existing communities, holds an annual religious service to commemorate the Independence Day of the State of Israel, attended by the Chief Rabbi, the Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, and a senior member of His Majesty's government.[citation needed]

The United Synagogue also owns a number of cemeteries throughout London. Some of these in the East End and West Ham have closed and are no longer in use. Willesden Jewish Cemetery, which includes the graves of many famous historical figures[example needed], is now the recipient of a heritage grant, while the cemeteries in Waltham Forest and Bushey continue to function. Bushey has recently consecrated a new section, which has reached the short list of the Stirling Prize for architecture in 2018, the first time a cemetery of any kind has been a candidate for this award.[citation needed]

## Activities

[edit]

The United Synagogue provides a number of religious services to the Orthodox community, including:

* The Tribe youth movement, which offers summer camps, after-school programmes, programmes for toddlers, and trips to Israel for young people.
* Young US – programmes for young adults.
* A Beit Din (the London Beth Din) – a religious court to decide halakhic matters.
* Certification of kashrut under the auspices of the London Beth Din.
* Burial services, including the maintenance of several cemeteries.

Activities are financed mostly from charitable donations and gifts, and from dues paid by member synagogues. Some revenues are generated from some £80 million in assets and investments (mostly synagogue buildings).[5]

## Jewish community

[edit]

The United Synagogue is one of 29 members of the Jewish Leadership Council, a British umbrella organisation.[11] It also elects deputies to the Board of Deputies of British Jews.[12]

## See also

[edit]

* List of chief rabbis of the United Kingdom
* History of the Jews in England

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Newman, Aubrey (1976). The United Synagogue, 1870–1970. Routledge & K. Paul. ISBN 9780710084569.
2. ^ Apple, Raymond (August 2009). Apple, Raymond (ed.). "Nathan Marcus Adler—Chief Rabbi, by Rabbi Raymond Apple". OzTorah.
3. ^ a b "Summary Information Return 2013" (PDF).
4. ^ "Date of report : 08 November 2017". apps.charitycommission.gov.uk.
5. ^ a b "Trustees' Report and Annual Accounts year ended 31 December 2013" (PDF).
6. ^ Rocker, Simon (19 February 2015). "Time to change: we must adapt say shul leaders". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
7. ^ "United Synagogue". The Jewish Encyclopedia. 1909. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
8. ^ "The Federation of Synagogues". Retrieved 28 April 2015.
9. ^ Graham, David; Vulkan, Daniel. "Synagogue Membership in the United Kingdom in 2010" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2011.
10. ^ "The Hillman windows". 11 September 2014.
11. ^ "Constituent Members". Jewish Leadership Council. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
12. ^ "Hustings with Candidates for Board of Deputies". United Synagogue. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015. "The United Synagogue in partnership with the Spanish & Portuguese Jews' Congregation invite you to attend a Hustings on 10th May at Edgware United with the candidates for these positions."

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

United Synagogue

Rabbis and
other prominent leaders|

| Living|

* Rabbi Jonathan Hughes
* Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis
* Rabbi Michael Plaskow

|

Historical|

* Rabbi Hermann Adler
* Rabbi Nathan Marcus Adler
* Asher Asher
* Rabbi Sir Israel Brodie
* Dayan Chanoch Ehrentreu
* Rabbi Joseph Hertz
* Rabbi Solomon Hirschell
* Rabbi Moses Hyamson
* Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits, Baron Jakobovits
* Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild
* Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Communities and
synagogues|

| Current|

* Bury Hebrew Congregation
* Cardiff United Synagogue
* Giffnock Synagogue
* New West End Synagogue
* Princes Road Synagogue
* Richmond Synagogue
* Singers Hill Synagogue
* Stanmore and Canons Park Synagogue
* Wembley United Synagogue

|

Historical|

* Bayswater Synagogue
* Blackpool United Hebrew Congregation
* Dalston Synagogue
* Dollis Hill Synagogue
* Great Synagogue of London
* Severn Street Synagogue

Cemeteries|

* Brady Street Cemetery
* Lauriston Road Cemetery
* West Ham Jewish Cemetery
* Willesden Jewish Cemetery

Schools|

* King Solomon High School
* Michael Sobell Sinai School

Organisation|

* London Beth Din

* v
* t
* e

Jews and Judaism in the United Kingdom

General|

* Anglo-Jewish Association
* Board of Deputies of British Jews
* Campaign Against Antisemitism
* Community Security Trust
* Jewish Leadership Council
* London Jewish Forum
* Scottish Council of Jewish Communities
* Union of Jewish Students

Education
and studies|

* British Association for Jewish Studies
* Gateshead Talmudical College
* Holocaust Educational Trust
* Holocaust Memorial Day
* Institute for Jewish Policy Research
* Jewish Book Week
* Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain
* Jewish Historical Society of England
* Jewish Museum London
* JW3
* Leo Baeck College
* Limmud
* London School of Jewish Studies

Religious|

* Jewish cemeteries in the London area
* Jewish communities in the United Kingdom

| Orthodox|

* Federation of Synagogues
* Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations
* United Synagogue
* Chief Rabbi

|

Conservative|

* Masorti Judaism

Progressive|

* Liberal Judaism
* Reform Judaism

Publications|

* The Jewish Chronicle
* Jewish News
* Jewish Quarterly
* Jewish Renaissance
* Jewish Telegraph
* Jewish Tribune
* Jewish Year Book

Charities|

* Jewish Care
* Jewish Association for Mental Illness - Jami
* Jewish Council for Racial Equality
* Kisharon
* Limmud
* Maccabaeans
* Norwood
* René Cassin
* Tzedek
* World Jewish Relief

Political|

* Jewdas
* Jewish Labour Movement
* Jewish Socialists' Group
* Jewish Voice for Labour
* Jews for Justice for Palestinians

Israeli
relations|

* Betar UK
* Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre
* Conservative Friends of Israel
* Independent Jewish Voices
* Labour Friends of Israel
* Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel
* Na'amod
* Northern Ireland Friends of Israel
* WIZO UK
* Yachad
* Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland
* "Israel lobby in the United Kingdom"

Related|

* All-Party Parliamentary Group against Antisemitism
* British Hero of the Holocaust
* Council of Christians and Jews
* Israel–United Kingdom relations

* Category
* List of British Jews
* List of synagogues

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Czech Republic
* Israel

People|

* Trove

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