The West London Synagogue of British Jews, abbreviated WLS ( he, ק"ק שער ציון, ''Kahal Kadosh Sha'ar Tziyon'', "Holy Congregation Gate of Zion"),
is a synagogue and congregation, affiliated to
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 sear ...
, near
Marble Arch in central London. It was established on 15 April 1840. The current synagogue building in Upper Berkeley Street, dedicated in 1870, is
Grade II listed
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 I ...
.
It is one of the
oldest synagogues in the United Kingdom
Synagogues may be considered "oldest" based on different criteria. A number of synagogues that predate the expulsion of the Jews from England have been discovered by archaeologists or by historians in buildings that have been in use for other purp ...
and is the oldest house of prayer affiliated with the
Movement for Reform Judaism.
History
19th century
On 15 April 1840, 24 members of the
Mocatta,
Goldsmid and other families announced their secession from their respective congregations, the
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 ...
Bevis Marks Synagogue and 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 ...
Great Synagogue of London, and their intention to form a prayer group for neither "German nor Portuguese" Jews but for "British Jews", which would allow them to worship together. The Mocattas and Goldsmids had been quarrelling with the wardens and complaining over lack of decorum for years. The new prayer group, convening in Burton Street, hired Reverend
David Woolf Marks
David Woolf Marks (22 November 1811 – 3 May 1909) was a British Hebrew scholar and minister. He was the first religious leader of the West London Synagogue, which seceded from the authority of the Chief Rabbi, where he advocated a quasi- Karai ...
in March 1841. Marks and the congregation adopted a unique, bibliocentric approach often termed "neo-
Karaism" by their critics, largely rejecting the authority of the
Oral Torah
According to Rabbinic Judaism, the Oral Torah or Oral Law ( he, , Tōrā šebbəʿal-pe}) are those purported laws, statutes, and legal interpretations that were not recorded in the Five Books of Moses, the Written Torah ( he, , Tōrā šebbī� ...
. They abolished the
second day of festivals
''Yom tov sheni shel galuyot'' ( he, יום טוב שני של גלויות), also called in short ''yom tov sheni'', means "the second festival day in the Diaspora", and is an important concept in halakha (Jewish law). The concept refers to the ...
and excised various prayers grounded in rabbinic tradition. It was only after almost a century that the congregation adopted mainstream
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 sear ...
.
On 27 January 1842, the West London Synagogue of British Jews was consecrated in its first permanent building, at Burton Street Chapel. By 1848, it had become too crowded for the congregation. A new location was found, in Margaret Street,
Cavendish Square
Cavendish Square is a public garden square in Marylebone in the West End of London. It has a double-helix underground commercial car park. Its northern road forms ends of four streets: of Wigmore Street that runs to Portman Square in the much ...
, at a cost of £5,000. It was dedicated on 25 January 1849. In 1867, a new location was required again. Eventually, the current synagogue building in Upper Berkeley Street was opened on 22 September 1870. It cost £20,000 and had capacity for 1,000 congregants at the time.
Marks retired in 1895. His successor, Rabbi
Morris Joseph
Morris David Joseph (28 May 1848, in London – 17 April 1930) studied at Jews' College, London, and in 1868 was appointed rabbi of the North London Synagogue; in 1874 he went to the Old Hebrew Congregation of Liverpool, where he officiated as pre ...
, abandoned his predecessor's philosophy, which was never very popular with constituents, and brought West London closer to mainstream Reform by removing from the
liturgy
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...
its petitions for the
restoration of sacrifices in Jerusalem.
20th and 21st centuries
Since the 1920s, men and women have been able to sit together during synagogue services. In 1929, the synagogue appointed
Hebrew Union College
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
graduate Rabbi
Harold F Reinhart, who brought it into the
World Union for Progressive Judaism. In 1942, West London Synagogue was a founding member of the Associated British Synagogues (called the
Movement for Reform Judaism (MRJ) since 2005).
In 1957 Rabbi Reinhart resigned as Senior Minister and, accompanied by 80 former members of West London Synagogue, established the New London Synagogue
which, shortly afterwards, was renamed
Westminster Synagogue
The Westminster Synagogue is a non-affiliated Jewish Reform synagogue and congregation near Hyde Park, London. It is located in Kent House, a restored Victorian town house in Knightsbridge. The building, which dates from the late 1800s, also ...
.
He was succeeded by Rabbi
Werner van der Zyl, who served as Senior Rabbi from 1958 to 1968.
Rabbi
Hugo Gryn succeeded van der Zyl in 1968, until his death in 1996.
Rabbi Julia Neuberger served as senior rabbi from 2011 to 2020.
Archives
The synagogue's archives, from 1841 to 1942, are held in the
University of Southampton
, mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour
, type = Public research university
, established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...
Libraries Special Collections.
Current rabbis and wardens
Rabbis
Helen Freeman and
David Mitchell took up post as joint Senior Rabbis on 1 April 2020.
As of 2021 the wardens are: John Axelson, William Campos-Ortega, Monica Jankel, Suzy Korel, Emma Levinson and Simon Raperport.
Ritual and edifice
Services at West London Synagogue follow the
prayer books
A prayer book is a book containing prayers and perhaps devotional readings, for private or communal use, or in some cases, outlining the liturgy of religious services. Books containing mainly orders of religious services, or readings for them are ...
of the
Movement for Reform Judaism, which incorporate material from both
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 ...
and
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 ...
traditions. A choir and organ, located behind a screen to the rear of the ''
bimah'', accompany the congregation in all musical parts of the service except for the ''
aleinu'' and the
kaddish. Men and women sit together during services, and also play equal parts in leading them. Male worshippers are required to wear a
kippah
A , , or , plural ), also called ''yarmulke'' (, ; yi, יאַרמלקע, link=no, , german: Jarmulke, pl, Jarmułka or ''koppel'' ( yi, קאפל ) is a brimless cap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish males to fulfill the ...
; females can wear one if they wish to do so.
The current building, dating from 1870, is located near
Marble Arch in
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 ...
. The main sanctuary was built in the
Neo-Byzantine architectural style by Davis & Emmanuel.
Its premises, which extend into Seymour Place, also contain offices, a library and various community facilities. The
bimah and
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''
* ...
were built in 1869–70 by Davis & Emmanuel.
The synagogue's
organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
, which was renovated in 2007, has 55
stops on four
manuals and pedal.
[See specification of th]
West London Synagogue's organ
/ref>
See also
* List of Jewish communities in the United Kingdom
* 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 ...
* Movement for Reform Judaism
Notes
References
External links
Official website
The Movement for Reform Judaism
o
''Jewish Communities and Records – UK''
(hosted by JewishGen)
{{Authority control
1840 establishments in England
Byzantine Revival architecture in the United Kingdom
Byzantine Revival synagogues
Grade II listed places of worship in the City of Westminster
Grade II listed religious buildings and structures
Reform synagogues in the United Kingdom
Religion in the City of Westminster
Religious organizations established in 1840
Synagogues completed in 1870
Synagogues completed in 1934
Synagogues in London
West London Synagogue