Bayswater Synagogue was an

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

synagogue located in Chichester Place,

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, near the

Harrow Road The Harrow Road is an ancient route in North West London which runs from Paddington in a northwesterly direction towards Harrow. It is also the name given to the immediate surrounding area of Queens Park and Kensal Green, straddling the NW10 ...

. Built in 1863, as a branch synagogue jointly of the Great Synagogue and the New Synagogue, it was one of the original five synagogues that formed the

United Synagogue The United Synagogue (US) is a union of United Kingdom, British Orthodox Jewish synagogues, representing the central Orthodox movement in Judaism. With 62 congregations (including 7 affiliates and 1 associate, ), comprising 40,000 members, it ...

in 1870. The original building was demolished in 1965 for construction of the Westway overpass and the Warwick Estate redevelopment.

History

From about 1820, many Jewish families had joined the westward expansion of London, placing them at an inconvenient distance from established synagogues whose wardens ("the Jewish City Fathers") required them to attend, even to the exclusion of private worship. Agitation commenced for a new synagogue, and "endless negative negotiations ensued between those who had moved into the Bayswater area and the authorities of the City synagogues." Support was gained from

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...

Nathan Marcus Adler Nathan Marcus HaKohen Adler (13 January 1803 – 21 January 1890) (Hebrew name: Natan ben Mordechai ha-Kohen) was the Orthodox Chief Rabbi of the British Empire from 1845 until his death. Life A kohen by birth, Adler was born in Hanover, in pr ...

and, after orderly formal proceedings, the Chichester Road site was selected and the foundation stone laid on 10 July 1862. On 21 February 1863 ''The Illustrated London News'' published an article on the new synagogue and, on 30 July 1863, the building was consecrated by the Chief Rabbi.Phillips, Olga S.; Simons, Hyman A. The Bayswater Synagogue 1863–1963, London 1963

WWII bombing

During

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the board-room was destroyed by

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

bombing, with the loss of a portrait gallery of 19th-century communal leaders. On the same night (10 May 1941), both London's Great Synagogue and the 1870 Central SynagogueThe Central Synagogue – a brief history
at Central Synagogue London official website were also destroyed.

Notable rabbis

*Dr

Hermann Adler Hermann Adler HaKohen CVO (30 May 1839 – 18 July 1911; Hebrew נפתלי צבי הירש הכהן אדלר ) was the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire from 1891 to 1911. The son (and successor as Chief Rabbi) of Nathan Marcus Adler, the 1911 ' ...

CVO preached at Bayswater Synagogue from 1864 to 1891, and served as

of the UK from 1891 to 1911. *Sir

Hermann Gollancz Sir Hermann Gollancz (30 November 1852 – 15 October 1930) was a British rabbi and Hebrew scholar. Gollancz was the first Jew to earn a doctor of literature degree from London University and the first holder of the degree to be ordained as a ra ...

was the preacher from 1892 to 1922. *The distinguished Australian Raymond Apple AO occupied the pulpit in the synagogue's final years (1960–1965).

References

External links

* Apple, Raymond (Rabbi
End of an era at Bayswater
''

The Jewish Chronicle ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'', 28 December 1984 * Apple, Raymond (Rabbi
Valedictory Sermon – Bayswater Synagogue
8 May 1965, at OzTorah
Bayswater Synagogue
at

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Archives collection, March 2010 * Ashkenazi Jewish culture in London Ashkenazi synagogues Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster Former synagogues in London Synagogues completed in 1863 1965 disestablishments in England Orthodox synagogues in England {{UK-synagogue-stub