The Great Synagogue of London was, for centuries, the centre of

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 ...

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

and

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 ...

life in

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 ...

. Built north of

Aldgate Aldgate () was a gate in the former defensive wall around the City of London. It gives its name to Aldgate High Street, the first stretch of the A11 road, which included the site of the former gate. The area of Aldgate, the most common use of ...

in the 17th century, it was destroyed during

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 ...

, in

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 ...

History

The earliest Ashkenazi synagogue constructed in London, after the return of Jews to England in the 17th century, was built about 1690 at Duke's Place, north of

, in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

. In 1696–7, the synagogue also acquired a burial ground, at Alderney Road. The congregation grew, and in 1722 a new building was erected with the cost of £2,000 () being borne by businessman and philanthropist

Moses Hart Moses Hart (November 26, 1768 – October 15, 1852) was a Canadian businessman and seigneur, eldest son of Aaron Hart. Biography Moses Hart was born in Trois-Rivières to Aaron Hart and Dorothea Judah. He was an unsuccessful candidate for th ...

. The building was consecrated on

Rosh Hashana Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...

(September 18, 1722). An enlarged building, designed by

George Dance the Elder George Dance the Elder (1695 – 8 February 1768) was a British architect. He was the City of London surveyor and architect from 1735 until his death. Life Originally a mason, George Dance was appointed Clerk of the city works to the City of ...

, was consecrated on August 29, 1766. The order of prayers for the inauguration was the first printed publication of the synagogue, and also the first publication to name it explicitly as 'The Great Synagogue'. Between 1788 and 1790, the third synagogue was built on the site. Unusually for the time, the principal donor was a woman, Judith Levy, a daughter of Moses Hart, who subscribed £4,000 (). The architect was

James Spiller James Spiller (c.1761–1829) was an English architect and surveyor, a close associate of Sir John Soane. His designs included the Church of St John-at-Hackney, and the Great Synagogue, London. Life Spiller was a pupil of the architect James Wy ...

. The building was in the classical style identified with John Adam. It was redecorated and repaired in 1832 and 1852 by

John Walen John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, and restored again with small renovations in 1899 and 1930. The Royal Dukes of Cambridge, Cumberland, and Sussex, sons of

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

, visited the Great Synagogue of London in 1809. There they were seated on elegant

Egyptian revival Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson's defeat ...

chairs as they watched the religious service. The synagogue was also visited around this period, during his schooldays, by the writer

Leigh Hunt James Henry Leigh Hunt (19 October 178428 August 1859), best known as Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, essayist and poet. Hunt co-founded '' The Examiner'', a leading intellectual journal expounding radical principles. He was the centr ...

, who wrote 'I took pleasure in witnessing the semi-Catholic pomp of their service and in hearing their fine singing, not without something of a constant astonishment at their wearing their hats'. The synagogue was destroyed during the night of May 10/11, 1941, during one of the last major attacks of

. A

plaque Plaque may refer to: Commemorations or awards * Commemorative plaque, a plate or tablet fixed to a wall to mark an event, person, etc. * Memorial Plaque (medallion), issued to next-of-kin of dead British military personnel after World War I * Pla ...

commemorating the synagogue is placed on Duke's Place.

Rabbis

The

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

s of the Great Synagogue, and their terms of office, included: * Judah Loeb Cohen, 1696–1700 * Aaron the Scribe of Dublin (acting rabbi) (1700-c. 1704) * Aaron Hart, c. 1704–1756 *

Hart Lyon Rabbi Hirschel Ben Arye Löb Levin (also known as Hart Lyon and Hirshel Löbel; 1721 – 26 August 1800) was Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and of Berlin, and Rabbi of Halberstadt and Mannheim, known as a scholarly Talmudist. Life He was born in ...

, 1758–1764 *

David Tevele Schiff Chief Rabbi David Tevele Schiff () (died December 17, 1791; or, in the Hebrew calendar, 26 Kislev 5551) was the chief rabbi of Great Britain and the rabbi of the Great Synagogue of London from 1765 until his death. Rabbi Schiff was a disciple of ...

, 1765–1792 * Moses Myers (acting rabbi) 1792–1802 *

Solomon Hirschell Rabbi Solomon Hirschell (12 February 1762, London – 31 October 1842, London) was the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, 1802–42. He is best remembered for his unsuccessful attempt to stop the spread of Reform Judaism in Britain by excommunicating ...

, 1802–1842 *

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 pre ...

, 1845–1890 *

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 ' ...

, 1891–1911 *

Joseph Hertz Joseph Herman Hertz (25 September 1872 – 14 January 1946) was a British Rabbi and biblical scholar. He held the position of Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom from 1913 until his death in 1946, in a period encompassing both world wars and the ...

, 1913–1946

Cantors

The Great Synagogue After 250 Years, Dukes Place, London, 1941 D2805

Myer Lyon Myer Lyon (, Germany – 1797, Kingston, Jamaica), better known by his stage name Michael Leoni, was a hazzan at the Great Synagogue of London who achieved fame as a tenor opera singer in London and Dublin, and as the mentor of the singer John Br ...

was ''

hazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this pr ...

'' at the Synagogue from 1767. For some time he also doubled as an opera singer at

Covent Garden Theatre The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

under the name 'Michael Leoni'. His rendering of prayers attracted many gentile visitors to the synagogue; amongst them was the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister

Thomas Olivers Thomas Olivers (1725–1799) was a Methodist preacher and hymn-writer from Tregynon, Montgomeryshire, Wales. He was also author of the ''Arminian Magazine'' from 1775 to 1789, when he was dropped from the position by John Wesley for numerous pri ...

, who adapted Leoni's rendition of the prayer ''

Yigdal Yigdal ( he, יִגְדָּל; ''yighdāl'', or ;''yighdal''; means "Magnify Living God) is a Jewish hymn which in various rituals shares with Adon 'Olam the place of honor at the opening of the morning and the close of the evening service. It i ...

'' to create the English hymn, ''The God of Abram Praise''; its melody still bears the title ''Leoni'' in ''

Hymns Ancient and Modern ''Hymns Ancient and Modern'' is a hymnal in common use within the Church of England, a result of the efforts of the Oxford Movement. The hymnal was first published in 1861. The organization publishing it has now been formed into a charitable ...

''. From his arrival in England until his death in 1880 the Anglo-Jewish composer of synagogue music

Julius Mombach Julius (Israel Lazarus) Mombach (1813 – February 1880) was a 19th-century English synagogue composer. regards him as "the most important of the composers of synagogue music in the Anglo-Jewish tradition of the 19th Century" whilst doesn't even ...

was associated with the Great Synagogue. He arrived in 1827 as ''meshorrer'' (

choirboy A choirboy is a boy member of a choir, also known as a treble. As a derisive slang term, it refers to a do-gooder or someone who is morally upright, in the same sense that " Boy Scout" (also derisively) refers to someone who is considered honor ...

) and eventually became the Synagogue's choir master.

In art

In 1819 an

aquatint Aquatint is an intaglio printmaking technique, a variant of etching that produces areas of tone rather than lines. For this reason it has mostly been used in conjunction with etching, to give both lines and shaded tone. It has also been used h ...

of the interior was drawn by

Augustus Charles Pugin Augustus Charles Pugin (born Auguste-Charles Pugin; 1762 – 19 December 1832) was an Anglo-French artist, architectural draughtsman, and writer on medieval architecture. He was born in Paris, then the Kingdom of France, but his father was Swi ...

and

Thomas Rowlandson Thomas Rowlandson (; 13 July 175721 April 1827) was an English artist and caricaturist of the Georgian Era, noted for his political satire and social observation. A prolific artist and printmaker, Rowlandson produced both individual social an ...

, and originally published in the popular illustrated magazine of the period, ''

Ackermann's Repository of Arts image:Fashion Plate (Carriage Dress) LACMA M.83.161.161.jpg, A fashion plate from the November 1811 issue ''Ackermann's Repository of Arts'' was an illustrated British periodical published from 1809 to 1829 by Rudolph Ackermann. Although commonly ...

''. Pugin drew a handsome representation of the Ionic columns supporting the balconies and the classical decoration of the building. Rowlandson drew caricatures of the congregants, with the hunched shoulders and exaggerated noses traditionally attributed to Jews.Krinsky, (1996),p. 417

References

; Notes ;Sources * Conway, David (2012). ''Jewry in Music: Entry to the Profession from the Enlightenment to Richard Wagner''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. *Kadish, Sharman (1996). ''Building Jerusalem, Jewish Architecture in Britain'', London: Valentine Mitchell * Krinsky, Carol H., ''Synagogues of Europe; Architecture, History, Meaning'', MIT Press, 1985; revised edition, MIT Press, 1986; Dover reprint, 1996 * * Wischnitzer, Rachel, (1964). ''The Architecture of the European Synagogue''. Jewish Publication Society of America.

External links