Langside Synagogue
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The Langside Synagogue ( yi, לאַנגסייד שול) is a former
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-pag ...
Jewish
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 ...
, located near Govanhill in Glasgow, Scotland. It opened in May 1927 and closed in 2014. Whilst active, the congregation worshiped in the
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 ...
rite.


History

The congregation was established in as the Langside Hebrew Congregation and worshiped from premises located at 1 Cromwell Road, Glasgow, until the new synagogue was completed. Construction of the new synagogue, on Niddrie Road, began in 1926 and the building was opened in May 1927. It was designed by Waddell & Young and its interior was designed by Harris Berkowitch. It was one of the only purpose-built synagogues in Scotland and one of two synagogues of Eastern European style in the United Kingdom. The interior has folk art-style features including woodcarvings and wall-paintings which are similar to synagogues in Romania, Poland, and Ukraine, reflecting the Eastern European heritage of the synagogue's membership. It is also one of a few synagogues in Glasgow to have survived since the
interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...
. It closed in 2014 and was sold in 2019. Some of the interior decoration, including the
ark Ark or ARK may refer to: Biblical narratives and religion Hebrew word ''teva'' * Noah's Ark, a massive vessel said to have been built to save the world's animals from a flood * Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses Hebrew ''aron'' * ...
and bimah, were removed after the building closed and went to the
Scottish Jewish Archives Centre The Scottish Jewish Archives Centre (SJAC) is the largest repository of items relating to Jewish migration to Scotland and life in Scotland. It aims to document and illustrate the religious, organisational, social, economic, political, cultural ...
in Garnethill. Following an "overwhelming" and "unprecedented" campaign of support, it was made a
Category C listed This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland, which are among the listed buildings of the United Kingdom. For a fuller list, see the pages linked on List of listed buildings in Scotland. Key The organization of the lists in th ...
building on 14 September 2020. The features which were considered as significant were the mainly unaltered exterior, the Eastern European design which is rare in the United Kingdom, the fact that it was one of the only purpose-built synagogues in Scotland and the contribution it has to the study of the early 20th-century Jewish community in Glasgow. The single-story addition at the back of the building was not included in the listed designation. The synagogue building was listed for sale, by auction, in 2021. Following sale of the synagogue, there was a resurgent local Jewish community who expressed interest in re-opening the synagogue for services and as a community centre for Govanhill.


See also

*
List of former synagogues in the United Kingdom This list of former synagogues in the United Kingdom consists of ''buildings'' in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which were previously used as synagogues; for a list of current Jewish communities or congregations, see List of Je ...
* List of Jewish communities in the United Kingdom * History of the Jews in Scotland


References


External links

* {{Synagogues in the United Kingdom 1910s establishments in Scotland 2014 disestablishments in Scotland 20th-century synagogues in the United Kingdom Ashkenazi Jewish culture in England Ashkenazi synagogues Category C listed buildings in Glasgow Former synagogues in Scotland Govanhill and Crosshill Jewish organizations established in the 1910s Orthodox synagogues in the United Kingdom Polish-Jewish culture in the United Kingdom Romanesque Revival architecture in the United Kingdom Romanesque Revival synagogues Romanian-Jewish diaspora Russian-Jewish diaspora in Europe Synagogues completed in 1927 Synagogues in Glasgow Ukrainian-Jewish diaspora