United Synagogue
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The United Synagogue (US) is a union of
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...
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 ...
s, representing the central Orthodox movement in
Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
. With 62 congregations (including 7 affiliates and 1 associate, ), comprising 40,000 members, it is the largest synagogue body in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. The spiritual leader of the union is the
Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth The Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of Great Britain and the Commonwealth is the senior rabbi of the United Synagogue, a union of British Orthodox Jewish synagogues. As of 2013, the chief rabbi is Ephraim Mirvis. See also * C ...
– a title that bears some formal recognition by
the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...
, even though his rabbinical authority is recognised by only slightly more than half of
British Jews British Jews (often referred to collectively as British Jewry or Anglo-Jewry) are British citizens who identify as Jewish. The number of people who identified as Jews in the United Kingdom rose by just under 4% between 2001 and 2021. History ...
.


History

The United Synagogue was mandated by an
Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...
in 1870, granting formal recognition to a union of three London synagogues forged by
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 pr ...
, who bore the title of ''Chief Rabbi of the British Empire''. Leaders of the organization included
Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild Nathaniel Mayer Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild (8 November 1840 – 31 March 1915) was a British banker and politician from the wealthy international Rothschild family. Early life Nathaniel Mayer Rothschild was the e ...
, who served as president in 1910. At the time of its inception, the United Synagogue was the dominant force in Jewish communal and religious organization, though the organization lost some of its hegemony in the 1880s with mass migrations of Jews from Eastern Europe, who brought with them strains of
Hassidic Judaism Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...
,
Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...
and
secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on Secularity, secular, Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic considerations. Secularism is most commonly defined as the Separation of church and state, separation of relig ...
. In 1887, Jewish community leader
Samuel Montagu Samuel Montagu, 1st Baron Swaythling (21 December 1832 – 12 January 1911), was a British banker who founded the bank of Samuel Montagu & Co. He was a philanthropist and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1900, a ...
created the
Federation of Synagogues The Federation of Synagogues is a British Jewish organisation with headquarters in Hendon, London. It comprises a network of 19 constituent and seven affiliated communities. As well as looking after its member synagogues , the Federation has a be ...
, which worked to unite Orthodox synagogues of
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
and other eastern European migrants living in the
slum A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily inh ...
s of
East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...
. Today, the Federation serves 21 synagogues, compared to the United Synagogue's 64. There are also numerous orthodox synagogues in Britain, including
Haredi Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
,
Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic group ...
, and others, unaffiliated with United Synagogue. In addition, there are congregations of
Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill#The Yorkshire Associati ...
, Masorti and Liberal Jews that are not included in the United Synagogue; so that, today, the organisation represents about 30 percent of all British congregants. Since 1990, central Orthodoxy has declined from 66 percent to 55 percent of total congregants, though this decline has flattened out in recent years. In 1970, the United Synagogue celebrated its centenary. Events included a special service held at the St. Johns Wood Synagogue, an exhibition of Jewish artefacts held at the Christies Auction Rooms, and a celebratory banquet held at the Dorchester Hotel in the presence of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. This was the first time that the Queen had attended an event held by the Anglo Jewish community, although the Duke of Edinburgh had previously attended the tercentenary commemoration of the return of Jews to England during the period of Oliver Cromwell. Plans are afoot to celebrate 150 years of the US in the year 2020. Over time, the United Synagogue have closed synagogues in areas of Jewish decline, including many grand cathedral type synagogues, such as Bayswater (to make way for the Westway road), New Cross, Brixton (one of the very few large United Synagogues south of the river), the Great Synagogue, East London, Hammersmith, Cricklewood, Egerton Road, Lofting Road and Dalston, while opening new synagogues in areas of Jewish growth, especially in the north western suburbs of London, such as Boreham Wood, Edgware, Barnet and other communities. Seven of the present United Synagogue buildings feature the stained glass windows of the twentieth century artist David Hillman; the largest collection, over 100 windows, is at the St. Johns Wood Synagogue. Some of the closed synagogues (such as Lofting Road or Dalston) were knocked down and replaced by other buildings, some underwent conversion, often to other religious denominations (Hammersmith is now a church), while in one instance – Egerton Road – the synagogue was purchased by one of the local ultra-orthodox groups (the Bobov) and retains a strong Jewish presence. Much of the previous formality of the United Synagogue, such as the wearing of clerical
canonicals The adjective canonical is applied in many contexts to mean "according to the canon" the standard, rule or primary source that is accepted as authoritative for the body of knowledge or literature in that context. In mathematics, "canonical example ...
by its clergy and waistcoats and top hats by its wardens has now disappeared. The synagogues use modern Hebrew vernacular for its prayers. The Finchley (Kinloss) synagogue, one of the largest of the existing communities, holds an annual religious service to commemorate the Independence Day of the State of Israel, attended by the Chief Rabbi, the Ambassador of Israel and a senior member of Her Majesty's government. The United Synagogue also owns a number of cemeteries throughout London. Some of these in the East End and West Ham have now closed and are no longer in use.
Willesden Jewish Cemetery The Willesden United Synagogue Cemetery, usually known as Willesden Jewish Cemetery, is a Jewish cemetery at Beaconsfield Road, Willesden, in the London Borough of Brent, England. It opened in 1873 on a site. It has been described as the ...
which includes the graves of many famous historical figures is now the recipient of a heritage grant, while the cemeteries in Waltham Forest and Bushey continue to function. Bushey has recently consecrated a new section which has reached the short list of the
Stirling Prize The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture. It is named after the architect James Stirling, organised and awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The S ...
for architecture in for 2018, the first time a cemetery of any kind has been a candidate for this award.


Activities

The United Synagogue provides a number of religious services to the Orthodox community, including: * The ''Tribe'' youth movement, which offers after-school programmes, programmes for toddlers, and trips to Israel for young people. * ''Young US'' – programmes for young adults. * A
Beit Din A beit din ( he, בית דין, Bet Din, house of judgment, , Ashkenazic: ''beis din'', plural: batei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel. Today, it ...
(the ''
London Beth Din The London Beth Din (LBD) is the Ashkenazi Beth Din of the United Synagogue, the largest Ashkenazi synagogal body in London, England. In its capacity as ''Court of the Chief Rabbi'', it is historically the supreme halakhic Authority for Ashkenaz ...
'') – a religious court to decide
halakhic ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
matters. *
Certification Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
of
kashrut (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...
under the auspices of the ''London Beth Din''. * Burial services, including the maintenance of several
cemeteries A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
. * Educational material provided by '' We Believe in Israel'', the grassroots initiative of BICOM. United Synagogue is an active supporter of Israel. The organisation sponsors trips to Israel for members and youth, distributes information packages about Israel from its website, and offers courses in Israeli history and politics and Hebrew. In October 2014, it urged its members to lobby members of Parliament to oppose a motion to recognise the State of Palestine. Activities are financed mostly from charitable donations and gifts, and from dues paid by member synagogues. Some revenues are generated from some £80 million in assets and investments (mostly synagogue buildings).


Jewish community

The United Synagogue is one of 29 members of the
Jewish Leadership Council The Jewish Leadership Council (previously known as the Jewish Community Leadership Council) is an organisation in the United Kingdom, founded in 2003, whose declared aim is to forward the interests of the organised Jewish community in Britain. ...
, a British
umbrella organisation An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...
. It also elects deputies to the
Board of Deputies of British Jews The Board of Deputies of British Jews, commonly referred to as the Board of Deputies, is the largest and second oldest Jewish communal organisation in the United Kingdom, after only the Initiation Society which was founded in 1745. Established ...
.


See also

*
List of chief rabbis of the United Kingdom The following list of chief rabbis of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth gives information regarding the Chief Rabbi of the United Synagogue, which is represented through the mainstream majority Orthodox community of the United Ki ...
*
History of the Jews in England The history of the Jews in England goes back to the reign of William the Conqueror. Although it is likely that there had been some Jewish presence in the Roman period, there is no definitive evidence, and no reason to suppose that there was any ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1870 establishments in the United Kingdom Charities based in London Jewish charities based in the United Kingdom Jews and Judaism in the United Kingdom Orthodox Judaism in London Religious organizations established in 1870
United United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...