| North Western Reform Synagogue | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Reform Judaism |
| Leadership | Clergy: Rabbi Hannah Kingston, Cantor Tamara Wolfson, Rabbi Elliott Karstadt |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Alyth Gardens, Temple Fortune, London Borough of Barnet |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 1936 (original synagogue), 1958 (Leo Baeck Centre), 2004 (social spaces and kindergarten) |
| Website | |
| www | |
North Western Reform Synagogue (usually known as Alyth,[1] although Alyth is strictly speaking the name of the Jewish community that was founded in 1933; the synagogue is Alyth Shul) is a Reform synagogue at Temple Fortune in north-west London. The synagogue was built in Alyth Gardens in 1936, on land carved out from the West London Synagogue’s cemetery in Hoop Lane.[2] Alyth is one of the largest Reform synagogues in the United Kingdom. It has around 2500 adult and 1000 child members. In 2021 its members approved a £6 million upgrade to the synagogue building.[3]
Rabbis and Cantors
Alyth's clergy team is Rabbi Hannah Kingston (since 2017), Cantor Tamara Wolfson (since 2020), Rabbi Elliott Karstadt (since 2020) and Rabbi Colin Eimer (since 2015).
The synagogue's Rabbis and Cantors have been:[2]
- 1933–38 Rabbi Solomon Starrels
- 1938–42 Rev. Maurice Perlzweig, who had been elected chair of the World Union of Jewish Students in 1933 and had helped to create the World Jewish Congress
- 1942–43 Rev. Vivian Simmons, on secondment from West London Synagogue
- 1943–58 Rabbi Dr Werner van der Zyl, who became founder and president of Leo Baeck College[2]
- 1958–72 Rev. Philip Cohen
- 1972–83 Rabbi Dow Marmur
- 1983–2003 Rabbi Charles Emanuel
- 2003–11 Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, later to become Senior Rabbi at the Movement for Reform Judaism[4]
- 2006–19 Rabbi Mark Goldsmith, who became Senior Rabbi at Edgware & Hendon Reform Synagogue in 2019
- 2008–23 Rabbi Josh Levy, who became Chief Executive of the Movement for Reform Judaism in 2023
- 2015– Rabbi Colin Eimer
- 2017– Rabbi Hannah Kingston
- 2020– Cantor Tamara Wolfson
- 2020– Rabbi Elliott Karstadt
Presidents
- 1947–1956: Leo Baeck (1873–1956), German rabbi, scholar, and theologian
- 1958–1971: Norman Bentwich (1883–1971), British barrister and legal academic, who was the British-appointed attorney-general of Mandatory Palestine
See also
Notes and references
- ↑ The Alyth website
- 1 2 3 "Our history". Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ↑ Toberman, Barry (3 March 2021). "Members approve £6 million upgrade for Golders Green shul". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- ↑ Rocker, Simon (21 July 2011). "Meet the media-savvy voice of Reform Judaism". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
External links
- Official website
- The Movement for Reform Judaism's official website
- North Western Reform Synagogue on Jewish Communities and Records – UK (hosted by jewishgen.org).