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The Wimbledon Synagogue

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The Wimbledon Synagogue, formally the Wimbledon and District Synagogue, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 1 Queensmere Road, Wimbledon Park, in the Borough of Wandsworth, London, England, in the United Kingdom.

The Wimbledon Synagogue
The synagogue in 2019
Religion
AffiliationReform Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusSynagogue
LeadershipRabbi Adrian Schell
StatusActive
Location
Location1 Queensmere Road, Wimbledon Park, Borough of Wandsworth, London SW19 5QD
CountryEngland, United Kingdom
The Wimbledon Synagogue is located in London Borough of Wandsworth
The Wimbledon Synagogue
Location of the synagogue in the London Borough of Wandsworth
Geographic coordinates51°26′21″N 0°13′25″W / 51.43917°N 0.22361°W / 51.43917; -0.22361
Architecture
TypeUniversity college (1953)
Date established1949 (as a congregation)
Completed
  • 1952 (Worple Road)
  • 1997 (Queensmere Road)
Website
wimshul.org
[1]

The congregation was established in 1949 and was based at Worple Road, Wimbledon from 1952 to 1997.[2] In 1997 it moved to its present premises, adapting a 1953 university college building which previously belonged to Southlands College,[3] now part of the University of Roehampton. The building also houses a nursery school, a branch of Keren's Nursery.[4] The congregation is a member of the Movement for Reform Judaism and is led by rabbi Adrian Schell.[1] In 2017, the congregation was described in The Jewish Chronicle as particularly welcoming.[5]

History

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The logo of the congregation

The synagogue came into being at a meeting of the local Jewish community at the Wimbledon Hill Hotel in February 1949. In its first year the membership, of 60 families, was little more than one-tenth of what it is now. Services were held in temporary accommodation. The community decided to build a new synagogue on a site at 44 Worple Road in Wimbledon. The foundation stone was laid on 8 April 1951 by Ernest Abelson and Leonard Montefiore (of the West London Synagogue) and the synagogue was formally opened and dedicated on 25 May 1952 by Rabbi Dr Leo Baeck.[3] In September 1997 the synagogue moved to its present site, adapting the former Athlone Hall (dating from 1953).[3]

Clergy

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The following individuals have served as rabbi of the congregation:[2]

Ordinal Officeholder Dates in office Notes and references
1 Charles Berg 1953–1974
2 Hillel Avidan 1974–1980
3 Daniel Smith 1982–1993
4 Robert Shafritz 1993– 1996 Died suddenly in office[6]
5 William Woolf 1997–2002
6 Sylvia Rothschild 2003–2014 Job shared[7][8]
Sybil Sheridan 2003–2014
8 Jason Rosner 2015–2016 [8][9][10][11]
9 Adrian Schell 2020–present [1][12][13][14][15]

Rabbi Tony Hammond is the Rabbi Emeritus,[16] having previously been the synagogue's interim part-time Rabbi.[2][11][17]

Facilities and activities

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As of 2021 the synagogue had 850 members.[1] Services are held every Shabbat on Friday evening and Saturday morning as well as for all Jewish festivals. Services are egalitarian; men and women sit together and take an equal role in the religious life of the community. As well as a cheder and an educational programme for children for young people,[18] the synagogue runs a programme of arts and cultural activities, workshops and talks.[19]

The synagogue houses three book collections. The David Nathan Library has nearly 2000 books covering Judaism, Israel, history, biography, fiction etc. The Harry Urban Holocaust Library concentrates on the personal stories of survivors of the Shoah. There is also a children's book collection. The collections are catalogued using the Classification System for Libraries of Judaica employed by Leo Baeck College.[20]

The community has a monthly membership newsletter, Kehillah.

The synagogue has three sets of stained glass windows. Their abstract designs were made by Graham Jones with Peters Glass Studio in Germany.[21][22] The acacia wood ark doors, which were part of the 2016 refurbishment, were designed with architect Allan Schwarz, who runs the Mezimbite Forest Center in Mozambique.

Social action

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Wimbledon Synagogue is a Fairtrade synagogue and has been involved for many years with the Faith in Action Merton Homeless Project, a charity which works with a range of agencies to support homeless, precariously housed and other marginalised people within the London Borough of Merton.[23] It has also accommodated local homeless people overnight as part of the Merton Night Shelter initiative.

In the media

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In 2010 Wimbledon Synagogue hosted the first ever broadcast of BBC Radio 4's Any Questions? from a synagogue. The programme's broadcast coincided with the 200th anniversary of the first Reform Judaism service.[24][25][26]

Notable members

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Minister enjoys serving at Wimbledon". The Jewish Chronicle. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Wimbledon and District Synagogue". Jewish Communities and Records - UK. JewishGen This website is owned by JewishGen and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. 5 January 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "60 years of memories of Wimbledon & District Synagogue". www.jtrails.org.uk. 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Keren's Nursery Wimbledon". London Borough of Wandsworth. 9 September 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  5. ^ Wolfson, Rina (9 August 2017). "The Secret Shul-Goer No.5 – Wimbledon Reform". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  6. ^ Singer, David, ed. (1998). American Jewish Yearbook 1998 (PDF). American Jewish Committee. p. 247. ISBN 0-87495-113-5. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  7. ^ Sheridan, Sybil (10 June 2009). "What future for the Jews left in Ethiopia?". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  8. ^ a b Firsht, Naomi (18 June 2015). "American is gearing up for Wimbledon". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  9. ^ Firsht, Naomi (29 January 2016). "Synagogue solar panels will take some beating". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016. Alt URL
  10. ^ "Wimbledon welcomes Rabbi Jason Rosner" (Press release). Movement for Reform Judaism. 6 November 2015. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  11. ^ a b Welch, Ben (4 October 2017). "Wimbledon's wait for rabbi". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Wimbledon Synagogue appoint a new rabbi" (Press release). Movement for Reform Judaism. July 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  13. ^ Frot, Mathilde (8 July 2020). "Wimbledon Synagogue appoints new rabbi". Jewish News. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  14. ^ "South London's biggest shul says it has found a Wimbledon winner". The Jewish Chronicle. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  15. ^ "Rabbi Adrian Schell". The Wimbledon Synagogue. Retrieved 15 May 2021.[self-published source?]
  16. ^ "Rabbi Tony Hammond". The Wimbledon Synagogue. Retrieved 17 July 2023.[self-published source?]
  17. ^ Welch, Ben (19 May 2017). "Muslim builds bridges by teaching at London cheder". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  18. ^ "Cheder". The Wimbledon Synagogue. Retrieved 10 December 2022.[self-published source?]
  19. ^ "Adult Education". The Wimbledon Synagogue. Retrieved 30 July 2015.[self-published source?]
  20. ^ "Our Library". The Wimbledon Synagogue. Retrieved 5 April 2016.[self-published source?]
  21. ^ "Wimbledon Synagogue". Graham Jones. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  22. ^ "Synagogue Windows and Hebrew Writing". The Wimbledon Synagogue. Retrieved 7 October 2022.[self-published source?]
  23. ^ "Wimbledon Synagogue support". Faith in Action Merton Homelessness Project. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  24. ^ Elgot, Jessica (21 May 2010). "BBC to host first synagogue 'Any Questions'". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  25. ^ "BBC Any Questions at Wimbledon". The Jewish Chronicle. 24 November 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Any Questions?". BBC Radio 4. 16 July 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  27. ^ Frick, Evelyn (11 June 2021). "18 Things to Know About Jewish Actor Brett Goldstein". Hey Alma. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  28. ^ North, Nic (16 June 2022). "Stage star Thelma Ruby lowers the curtain on her sparkling 78-year career with a solo show". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  29. ^ Reuben, Susan (11 May 2017). "Shooting in the dark". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
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