Belsize Square Synagogue is a continental Liberal

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

congregation and synagogue, located in

Belsize Park Belsize Park is an affluent residential area of Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden (the inner north-west of London), England. The residential streets are lined with mews houses and Georgian and Victorian villas. Some nearby localities ar ...

, Hampstead, in the Borough of Camden,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, in the United Kingdom. The congregation is independent of the two Progressive (Reform) Jewish movements in the United Kingdom, drawing from the worship tradition of German Liberal Judaism.

Affiliation

Belsize Square Synagogue was founded in 1939 by refugees mainly from Germany. While today the membership of Belsize Square Synagogue comprises people who have joined from other strands of Judaism alongside the families of its founders, this history is reflected especially in the dignity of its religious services, mainly conducted in Hebrew, and its music. This was mainly composed by

Louis Lewandowski Louis Lewandowski (April 3, 1821 – February 4, 1894) was a Polish-Jewish and German-Jewish composer of synagogal music. He contributed greatly to the liturgy of the Synagogue Service. His most famous works were composed during his tenure as ...

(b.1821), who was based in Berlin and influenced by Felix Mendelssohn, and by

Salomon Sulzer Salomon Sulzer ( he, סלומון זולצר, March 30, 1804, Hohenems, Vorarlberg – January 17, 1890, Vienna) was an Austrian '' hazzan'' (cantor) and composer. Biography His family, which prior to 1813 bore the name of ''Levi'', removed to ...

(b.1804), a Viennese cantor and contemporary and friend of

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

Services

Religious services are held every Friday evening and Saturday morning and on Jewish festivals and Belsize Square Synagogue is known by its music led by Cantor, Choir and organ following the German Liberale tradition and composers Louis Lewandowski (Berlin) and Salomon Sulzer (Vienna) between others. A Sunday tefilin '' minyan'' (congregation) meets occasionally with the future bnei Mitzvah kids and adults before Cheder's Assembly. Men and women sit together and both may be called up to read from the

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...

. Children's services (known as Kikar Kids) are held on the first Saturday morning of the month. Belsize Square Synagogue services are

live-streamed Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...

via its website, with the support of grant funding from the Six Point Foundation, and by a donation from the Ann Hirschfield Trust. They have been especially vital to its own and the larger community during the COVID-19 restrictions, even weddings have been livestreamed.

Education

Belsize Square has a ''cheder'' (religion school) for children and a regular adult discussion group, both meeting in term on Sunday mornings. An "Introduction to Judaism" class meets on Monday evenings, and forms part of Belsize Square Synagogue's programme of activities for people converting to Judaism. This regular education programme is supplemented by ad hoc lectures, events, film presentations and short courses.

Other activities

Belsize Square Synagogue has a programme of youth activities including summer and winter weekend camps and a football club (Alyth Belsize, shared with Alyth Gardens Synagogue). In conjunction with volunteers, the synagogue's community care co-ordinator provides support and assistance to older members of the congregation and others in need including those experiencing bereavement or ill-health. Part of the Belsize Square Synagogue building is used by Kerens Day Nursery during the week.

References

External links

* * * * {{Authority control 1939 establishments in England 20th-century synagogues in Europe Ashkenazi Jewish culture in London Ashkenazi synagogues Belsize Park German-Jewish culture in the United Kingdom Jewish German history Jewish organizations established in 1939 Synagogues completed in 1951 Synagogues in London Unaffiliated synagogues