The Bournemouth Community Hebrew Congregation is an

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 in

Lansdowne Lansdowne or Lansdown may refer to: People * Lansdown Guilding (1797–1831), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines naturalist and engraver *Fenwick Lansdowne (1937–2008), Canadian wildlife artist * George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne (1666–1735) ...

, Bournemouth, England. Its Rabbi is Adrian Jesner.

History

The congregation was formed in 1905. Kadish, Sharman. ''Jewish Heritage in England: An Architectural Guide'',

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

, 2006, pp. 80–81 Albert Samuel, brother of

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician

Herbert Samuel Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel, (6 November 1870 – 5 February 1963) was a British Liberal politician who was the party leader from 1931 to 1935. He was the first nominally-practising Jew to serve as a Cabinet minister and to be ...

, laid the cornerstone of the current synagogue, which was built in 1911. In 2019, the synagogue was made a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

Architecture

Star of David on the Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation Synagogue

The curvilinear roof line and window shape reveal what would have been a very contemporary Art Nouveau take on the

Moorish Revival Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mid-19th centu ...

style that was extremely popular for synagogues. The squat tower with its square dome and "attractive interlocking window arcade" mark the original entrance. The horseshoe-arched windows to the left are also part of the original facade. The new entrance, to the right of the tower, and barrel-vaulted interior with a ladies' gallery is the result of a 1957–62 expansion. The

Torah Ark A Torah ark (also known as the ''Heikhal'', or the ''Aron Kodesh'') refers to an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark, also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' or ''aron ha- ...

, also dating from the 1960s, is a mosaic design by craftsmen from

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

intended to echo the

Temple of Solomon Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple (, , ), was the Temple in Jerusalem between the 10th century BC and . According to the Hebrew Bible, it was commissioned by Solomon in the United Kingdom of Israel before being inherited by the ...

by featuring the Biblical columns

Boaz and Jachin According to the Bible, Boaz ( he, ''Bōʿaz'') and Jachin ( ''Yāḵīn'') were two copper, brass or bronze pillars which stood on the porch of Solomon's Temple, the first Temple in Jerusalem. They are used as symbols in Freemasonry and sometim ...

Future plans

The synagogue announced in early 2023 that it plans to sell its current building and move to smaller premises.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
o
''Jewish Communities and Records – UK''
(hosted by ''jewishgen.org''). 1905 establishments in England Art Nouveau architecture in England Art Nouveau synagogues Buildings and structures in Bournemouth Jewish organizations established in 1905 Moorish Revival synagogues Orthodox synagogues in England Synagogues completed in 1911 Grade II listed buildings in Dorset Grade II listed religious buildings and structures

History

Architecture

Future plans

See also

References

External links