The Beth El Synagogue in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

, New Zealand, was located at 78 Gloucester Street. Two synagogues stood on the site, first a wooden one from 1864 and then a stone building from 1881 until its demolition in 1987.

First synagogue

A meeting of Jewish residents on 10 January 1864 held at the offices of Louis Edward Nathan, and chaired by Nathan, decided to form a congregation and to erect a synagogue.

NZ£ The pound (symbol £, £NZ. for distinction) was the currency of New Zealand from 1840 until 1967, when it was replaced by the New Zealand dollar. Like the pound sterling, it was subdivided into 20 shillings (abbreviation s or /) each of 12 pen ...

300 towards the cost of the building were subscribed during the meeting. By mid-year, the site at 78 Gloucester Street had been purchased. The architect,

Benjamin Mountfort Benjamin Woolfield Mountfort (13 March 1825 – 15 March 1898) was an English emigrant to New Zealand, where he became one of the country's most prominent 19th-century architects. He was instrumental in shaping the city of Christchurch's unique ...

, called for tenders by 15 June 1864. It took until mid-August for the congregation to take possession of the land. Tenders for the fitout were called by Mountfort a week later. The congregation first used the building on 1 October 1864 to coincide with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, for the year 5265. The building had cost NZ£500 but was not fully furnished; chairs were used for some time but seats had been installed before the end of 1864. By March 1865, the congregation had collected NZ£706 in donations. At the annual general meeting in September 1876, the issue of possibly building a new synagogue was formally discussed. It was decided to task a committee with progressing the issue. By February 1878, fundraising started to be organised. At a general meeting in May 1880, there was disquiet that the building proposal and fundraising effort had been allowed to linger. In November 1880, the architect Thomas Stoddart Lambert called for tenders for a new synagogue. The work was awarded to

William Prudhoe William Prudhoe (14 January 1832 – 29 April 1908) was Mayor of Christchurch, New Zealand, for 1892. Early life Prudhoe was born Sunderland, England. He received his education at a public school and then undertook an apprenticeship as a builder ...

. In mid-December, it was announced that an adjoining piece of land had been bought fronting onto Cambridge Terrace. The existing synagogue was to be relocated to this land so that worship won't get interrupted, a new synagogue built on the existing land, and once that was finished, the first synagogue was to be converted to a school.

Second synagogue

The foundation stone for the new synagogue was laid on 8 February 1881. Six weeks later, ''

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

'' reported on good building progress and the reporter remarked that "already some idea can be formed of the striking character of its architecture." In early April, the ''

Lyttelton Times The ''Lyttelton Times'' was the first newspaper in Canterbury, New Zealand, publishing the first edition in January 1851. It was established by the Canterbury Association as part of its planned settlement of Canterbury and developed into a libera ...

'' reported that the facade was nearly finished. In early April, the masonry was nearly finished. In July, the architect invited tenders for the interior fitout and furniture. By the end of July, ''The Star'' reported on the interior fitout progress and that the building would be finished within a few more weeks. The consecration took place on 3 November 1881 in front of a large crowd; the event was by invitation only. The consecration was carried out by Rev Isaac Zachariah with the

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

rabbi, Herman van Staveren, as assistant, in the presence of the bishops of Wellington and

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

Octavius Hadfield Octavius Hadfield (6 October 1814 – 11 December 1904) was Archdeacon of Kapiti, Bishop of Wellington from 1870 to 1893 and Primate of New Zealand from 1890 to 1893. He was a member of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) for thirty years. H ...

and Andrew Suter.

References

{{Reflist Religious buildings and structures in Christchurch Christchurch Central City Synagogues in New Zealand 1864 establishments in New Zealand 1987 disestablishments in New Zealand