South East London Synagogue

The South East London Synagogue was established in 1888 by Ashkenazi Jews who had immigrated from Eastern Europe. It was refused membership of the United Synagogue,[1] but was admitted to the Federation of Synagogues.[2] Immanuel Jakobovits was the rabbi just after the Second World War.

History

The synagogue's first premises was a house at 452 New Cross Road, New Cross, London.[3] It then moved to Nettleton Road, followed by a hut in Lausanne Road in 1889.

The first purpose-built synagogue was consecrated in March 1905 and was destroyed by a German air raid on 27 December 1940. After this the congregation moved temporarily to 117 Lewisham Way, returning to its original site at New Cross Road in 1946 – first to a temporary hut and then to a new purpose-built synagogue in 1956. During the period from 1945 to 1947 Immanuel Jakobovits, who later became the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, and was created a life peer in 1988, as Baron Jakobovits, was the rabbi.[4][5] However, the congregation went into decline and the synagoguge closed in 1985, by which time it only had 56 male members compared with 294 in 1939.[3]

After the closure of the synagogue, the building was left empty for a period and used by squatters. For a while it was used as a rehearsal space for local bands and performance artists including Test Department and Peri Mackintosh's Proj-X.

Subsequently it was acquired by the Jehovah's Witnesses who converted it to a Kingdom Hall.

References

  1. ↑ Newman, Aubrey (1976). The United Synagogue, 1870–1970. Routledge & K. Paul. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-7100-8456-9.
  2. ↑ Gutwein, Daniel (1992). The divided elite: economics, politics, and Anglo-Jewry, 1882–1917. Brill. p. 210. ISBN 978-90-04-09447-5.
  3. 1 2 Renton, Peter (2000). The lost synagogues of London. Tymsder Publishing. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-9531104-2-1.
  4. ↑ "Lord Jakobovits". The Guardian (London). 1 November 1999. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  5. ↑ "Immanuel Jakobovits". The Blade (Toledo, Ohio). 3 November 1999. Retrieved 4 January 2010.

External links

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