New West End Synagogue

History

Designed by George Audsley of Scotland in collaboration with Nathan S. Joseph, its foundation stone was laid on 7 June 1877 by Leopold de Rothschild in the presence of the Chief Rabbi, Dr. Nathan Marcus Adler, and the building was formally opened on 30 March 1879.

Chaim Weizmann, the first president of the State of Israel, and Herbert Samuel, the British High Commissioner for Palestine during the British Mandate, were both members of the synagogue. Their seats are marked with plaques. The synagogue's first rabbi was Simeon Singer, who translated and edited the Authorized Daily Prayer Book, which is still used in Orthodox synagogues across Great Britain.

Perhaps the most famous rabbi of New West End Synagogue was Louis Jacobs, whose ties with the synagogue were severed in what became known as the Jacobs affair, and went on to found the Masorti movement.

In August 2007, the New West End Synagogue was declared a national monument.

Community

The New West End Synagogue is a constituent of the United Synagogue (Orthodox) and serves the Jewish communities of Bayswater, Notting Hill, Kensington, Hammersmith and West London. Opened in 1879, it has in recent years enjoyed a major communal renaissance under the leadership of Rabbi Geoffrey Shisler and his wife Anne.

As well as regular services, the synagogue provides regular children's services for the under 5s and over 5s; Hebrew classes for children up to Bar or Bat Mitzvah age; a Mothers & Toddlers Group, regular adult education seminars and lectures; a keep fit group for ladies. There is a social committee; a Guild, which organises a range of lectures, outings and charitable activities; an Israel Group which arranges lectures and briefings on the Middle East by experts from all sides of the political spectrum; a Cares Group, which ensures that elderly and infirm members receive regular contact; and a Friendship Club, which meets monthly for more senior members.

The Synagogue has recently made two new appointments to its Clergy. Earlier this year Rabbi Moshe Freedman was appointed senior minister for the community and Chazan Jonathan Garcia as Cantor. Jonathan is a Lyric Baritone. Other singing commitments have included bass solo in Mozart’s ‘Requiem’, Beethoven’s ‘Choral Fantasia’ and Handel’s ‘Messiah’ for the Centenary Choir. During the summer of 2013, he sang the role of Antonio in a production of ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ by Mozart at the Bedford Park Music Festival.

Music

The New West End is known for its music and choir. The first choirmaster was David M. Davis, the compiler of The Voice of Prayer and Praise, known as the Blue Book, and the standard work on Anglo-Jewish minhag (customs). Davis spend 50 years as choirmaster, from 1879. Mosaic Voices, the choir at New West End is now directed my Michael Etherton, Managing Director of UK Jewish Film. Many members of the choir are professional singers working at London's Opera Houses. Most music is composed or arranged by Ben di Garmus, James Mawson and Toby Young (who was recently awarded a PhD at Oxford University) or from the original "Blue Book". The Choir's repertoire includes madrigals by Salmone Rossi to film music by Meir Finkelstein and Rabbi Geoffrey Shisler, a span of over 400 years. On a semi-annual basis, the synagogue organise special services to perform compositions often not sung in synagogue due to their complexity. The most recent was Shabbat UK 2016.

Architecture

Particularly notable is the splendid Torah ark. Designed by Joseph, it closely resembles the ark he designed for Glasgow's Garnethill Synagogue; both arks are raised on platforms, approached by a series of circular marble steps, and project into the room in the form as a multi-domed and arched building.