The Montefiore Synagogue is the former private synagogue of Sir

Moses Montefiore Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, (24 October 1784 – 28 July 1885) was a British financier and banker, activist, philanthropist and Sheriff of London. Born to an Italian Sephardic Jewish family based in London, aft ...

. It is an 1833, 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 Irel ...

in Ramsgate, Kent, England. The synagogue and mausoleum are cared for and maintained by the Montefiore Endowment. The endowment also maintains the nearby Ramsgate Jewish Cemetery.

History

Sir Moses Montefiore first came to Ramsgate in 1812 on his honeymoon with his wife Judith Cohen, sister-in-law to Nathan Rothschild. Ramsgate had had a small Jewish Community since 1786. The synagogue was in the European tradition of great men having private chapels on their estates. Sir Moses Montefiore had the synagogue built immediately upon purchasing East Cliff Lodge in 1831. On the day the building was dedicated, Montefiore fulfilled the Jewish custom of marking such an occasion by giving charity to the poor by giving money to be distributed by the priests of the two neighbouring

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

parishes.Krinsky, 1985, page 127

David Mocatta David Alfred Mocatta (1806–1882) was a British architect and a member of the Anglo-Jewish Mocatta family. Early career David Alfred Mocatta was born to a Sephardic Jewish family in 1806, the son of the licensed bullion broker Moses Mocat ...

, a cousin, was hired to design the Synagogue. Mocatta estimated the cost at between £1,500 and £1,600 exclusive of the interior which was to cost from £300 to £400. The foundation stone was laid on the New Moon of Tammuz 5691 or 9 August 1831. In 1869, Sir Moses founded the Lady Judith Montefiore Theological College, a

yeshivah A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are stud ...

. This was located to the rear of the synagogue; it was demolished in 1965. The work of the college is continued today in London and is run by the Montefiore Endowment. The site of the college is now owned by Ramsgate Town Council and maintained by volunteers as a dedicated woodland. East Cliff Lodge was demolished in 1954. The grounds are now the King George VI Memorial Park. The entrance gates, gate-house and Italianate Greenhouse still stand. In 2007 a general medical practice opened on the grounds of the former estate. The developer contributed funds to preserve the woodlands next to the historic synagogue. The rite of the synagogue is that of

Bevis Marks Bevis Marks, classified as part of the A1211, is a short street (about 150 m long) in the ward of Aldgate in the City of London. Traffic runs northwest in a one-way direction into Camomile Street, and parallel to Houndsditch which runs sou ...

in the City of London. Regular services are no longer held due to a lack of a local

Sephardi Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefa ...

congregation.

Architecture

The building is set on a

knoll In geography, knoll is another term for a knowe or hillock, a small, low, round natural hill or mound. Knoll may also refer to: Places * Knoll Camp, site of an Iron Age hill fort Hampshire, England, United Kingdom * Knoll Lake, Leonard Canyon, A ...

that, in Sir Moses' day, overlooked extensive gardens. The synagogue is a noted example of ecclesiastical

Regency architecture Regency architecture encompasses classical buildings built in the United Kingdom during the Regency era in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to earlier and later buildings following the same style. The period co ...

.Kadish, 2006, page 59 The architect was Montefiore's cousin,

. It was the first purpose-built synagogue in Britain designed by a Jewish architect. It is a masonry building covered with stucco. The building is a rectangular with canted corners and a semicircular apse to accommodate 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- ...

. The small vestibule contains the stairway of the women's gallery. The facade features a clock, which is the only example in an English Synagogue. The clock bears the motto, ''Time flies, virtue alone remains.'' The Montefiore coat of arms was a later addition to the facade.Kadish, 2006, pages 58-61 The typically Regency interior features an octagonal dome with a lantern to admit daylight, and a window over the

. The interior was originally of whitewashed plaster. The pink, grey and cream marble and granite walls and much of the furniture were added by Montefiore's heirs in 1912. Oak furniture and iron gallery supports were added in 1933. Windows on the northeast and southeast walls with stained glass were also added in 1933. The synagogue is illuminated by candles in the original chandeliers. The gallery is curtained by an old-fashioned, tall latticework. It retains Lady Montefiore's original seat, no. 3. Sir Moses' seat is on the ground floor. In 1933, the original wooden board with the prayer for the Royal Family was moved to the Bristol Synagogue. In the lobby there is a memorial to a member of the family, Captain Robert Sebag-Montefiore who was killed in Gallipoli during World War 1.

Mausoleum

Next to the synagogue is the tomb which is the final resting place of Sir Moses and Judith, Lady Montefiore. It is a replica of Rachel's Tomb on the road from

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

. During an 1841 visit to the

Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...

, Montefiore got permission from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

to restore the tomb.Kadish, 2006, page 62 Like Rachel's tomb, the Montefiore mausoleum is cube surmounted by a dome. It has an open, arched porch. The interior has a stained glass skylight but no other decoration. The two graves are marked by identical chest tombs of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

marble. The graves face east, towards Jerusalem. The floor is made of Minton tile. The porch features ironwork grills in intricate Moorish patterns. Above the porch of the Mausoleum is the following inscription. It is taken from the last verse of the Hebrew hymn '' Adon Olam'': "Within Thy hand I lay my soul / Both when I sleep and when I wake. / And with my soul my body too, / My Lord is with me, I shall not fear". Beyond the tomb there is a short, Roman pillar of Egyptian porphyry. The pillar was a gift from Mehmet Ali (1768-1849), khedive of Egypt, with whom Montefiore established friendly relations. It was placed there by Lady Montefiore to indicate where she wished to be buried. Lady Montefiore died in 1862. In August 1973, it was reported that the Israeli government had tried to have the remains of Sir Moses moved to Israel.The ''East Kent Times'', 15 August 1973

Notes

References

Sources

Sharman Kadish Sharman Kadish (born 1959) is a contemporary scholar, author, historian and preservationist. Biography Kadish was born in London, England, of Russian Jewish descent. Her father was the artist Norman Maurice Kadish. She was educated at Univers ...

, ''Jewish Heritage in England: An Architectural Guide'', English Heritage, 2006, pp. 58–62 *

Carol Herselle Krinsky Carol Herselle Krinsky (born 1937 Brooklyn, New York) is an American architectural historian. She graduated from Erasmus Hall High School, studied at Smith College (1957 BA) and New York University, (Ph.D. 1965). Krinsky is a professor of twentiet ...

, ''Synagogues of Europe; Architecture, History, Meaning''; MIT 1985; revised edition, MIT Press, 1986; Dover reprint, 1996, p. 127

External links

The Montefiore Endowment

o
''Jewish Communities and Records - UK''
(hosted by ''jewishgen.org'').
YouTube: Montefiore Synagogue Ramsgate Open Day 2007
(virtual tour) {{coord , 51, 20, 26, N, 1, 25, 40, E, region:GB, display=title Ramsgate Synagogues in England Sephardi Jewish culture in the United Kingdom Sephardi synagogues Grade II listed buildings in Kent Synagogues completed in 1833 Religion in Kent Regency and Biedermeier synagogues Jewish mausoleums Mausoleums in England Monuments and memorials in Kent Religious buildings and structures in Kent Grade II listed religious buildings and structures David Mocatta buildings