South East London Synagogue
Encyclopedia
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
, but was admitted to the Federation of Synagogues. Immanuel Jakobovits
was the rabbi just after the Second World War.
, London
. 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. However the congregation went into decline and it closed in 1985, by which time it only had 56 male members compared with 294 in 1939.
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. http://transpont.blogspot.com/2007/01/south-east-london-synagogue.html
Subsequently it was acquired by the Jehovah's Witnesses
who converted it to a Kingdom Hall.
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. It was refused membership of the United Synagogue
United Synagogue
United Synagogue is an organisation of London Jews that was founded with the sanction of an Act of Parliament, in 1870. , it remains the largest religious grouping within the British Jewish community and indeed in Europe, covering 62 Orthodox Jewish communities...
, but was admitted to the Federation of Synagogues. Immanuel Jakobovits
Immanuel Jakobovits
Immanuel Jakobovits, Baron Jakobovits, Kt was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1967 to 1991. His successor is the present Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks.-Biography:...
was the rabbi just after the Second World War.
History
The synagogue's first premisies was a house at 452 New Cross Road, New CrossNew Cross
New Cross is a district and ward of the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is situated 4 miles south-east of Charing Cross. The ward covered by London post town and the SE 14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. 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
Immanuel Jakobovits
Immanuel Jakobovits, Baron Jakobovits, Kt was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1967 to 1991. His successor is the present Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks.-Biography:...
, 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. However the congregation went into decline and it closed in 1985, by which time it only had 56 male members compared with 294 in 1939.
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. http://transpont.blogspot.com/2007/01/south-east-london-synagogue.html
Subsequently it was acquired by the Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
who converted it to a Kingdom Hall.
External links
- South-East London Synagogue on Jewish Communities and Records - UK (hosted by jewishgen.org).