| North Western Reform Synagogue | |
|---|---|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Reform Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
| Leadership |
|
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Alyth Gardens, Temple Fortune, Golders Green, Borough of Barnet, London, England NW11 7EN |
| Country | United Kingdom |
  Location of the synagogue in Greater London | |
| Geographic coordinates | 51°34′46″N 0°11′47″W / 51.5794°N 0.1964°W / 51.5794; -0.1964 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Fritz Landauer |
| Date established | 1933 (as a congregation) |
| Completed | 1936 |
| Website | |
| alyth | |
The North Western Reform Synagogue, commonly known as Alyth, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at Temple Fortune, Golders Green, in the Borough of Barnet, north-west London, England, in the United Kingdom.
Overview
The congregation was founded in 1933. Its building, designed by the architect Fritz Landauer, was built in Alyth Gardens in 1936, on land carved out from the West London Synagogue’s cemetery in Hoop Lane. In 1942, the congregation became a founding member of Associated British Synagogue, now known as the Movement for Reform Judaism. With approximately 2,500 adult and 1,000 child members, the congregation is one of the largest Reform synagogues in the United Kingdom.
In 2021 its members approved a £6 million upgrade to the synagogue building, which is scheduled to be completed in 2024.
Clergy
The following individuals have served as rabbi of the congregation:
| No. | Rabbi | Term start | Term end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solomon Starrels | 1933 | 1938 | |
| 2 | Maurice Perlzweig | 1938 | 1942 | Also chair of the World Union of Jewish Students in 1933 and had helped to create the World Jewish Congress |
| − | Vivian Simmons | 1942 | 1943 | Acting, on secondment from West London Synagogue |
| 3 | Dr Werner van der Zyl | 1943 | 1958 | Also founder and president of Leo Baeck College |
| 4 | Philip Cohen | 1958 | 1972 | |
| 5 | Dow Marmur | 1972 | 1983 | |
| 6 | Charles Emanuel | 1983 | 2003 | |
| 7 | Laura Janner-Klausner | 2003 | 2011 | Became Senior Rabbi at the Movement for Reform Judaism in 2011 |
| 8 | Mark Goldsmith | 2006 | 2019 | Became Senior Rabbi at Edgware & Hendon Reform Synagogue in 2019 |
| 9 | Josh Levy | 2008 | 2023 | Emeritus; became Chief Executive of the Movement for Reform Judaism in 2023 |
| 10 | Colin Eimer | 2015 | incumbent | |
| 11 | Hannah Kingston | 2017 | incumbent | |
| 12 | Elliott Karstadt | 2020 | incumbent | |
| 13 | Golan Ben-Chorin | 2024 | incumbent |
Notable members
 | This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "North Western Reform Synagogue" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
- Leo Baeck, a German rabbi, scholar and theologian who served as president of the congregation from 1947 to 1956
- Norman Bentwich, a barrister and legal academic, who served as president of the congregation from 1958 to 1971
- Richard Hermer, Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland since July 2024
See also
- History of the Jews in England
- List of Jewish communities in the United Kingdom
- List of synagogues in the United Kingdom
Notes
- Alyth is a name derived from the road on which the synagogue is located since 1936.
References
- "About: Find us". Alyth website.
- Herselle Krinsky, Carol (1996). Synagogues of Europe – Architecture, History, Meaning. Appendix I, p. 430.
- ^ "Our history". Alyth website. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- "North Western Reform Synagogue". Jewish Communities and Records – UK. JewishGen and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- 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.
- Harpin, Lee (6 July 2024). "Starmer appoints lawyer who opposed Gove's anti-BDS bill as Attorney General". Jewish News. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
External links
 Reform Judaism in the United Kingdom  | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rabbis |
| ||||||
| Lay leaders | |||||||
| Communities and synagogues in the Movement for Reform Judaism |
| ||||||
| Independent communities and synagogues | |||||||
| Organisations | |||||||
