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The Western Marble Arch (WMA) Synagogue is a Jewish place of worship in central London. The WMA is the result of a merger between the Western and the Marble Arch Synagogues, with the former congregation dating back to 1761. The current building is in Great Cumberland Place, Westminster. It is a leading Orthodox Judaism synagogue and offers religious and social activities to its members and the wider community.[1]
History
Western Synagogue
The Western Synagogue was founded in 1761 in Great Pulteney Street, Westminster. The congregation, formally named, in the transliteration of the era, Hebra Kaddisha Shel Gemillith Hassadim, Westminster (Holy Congregation of Acts of Charity, Westminster) first met in the home of Wolf Liepman, a prosperous immigrant merchant from St. Petersburg. A series of leased spaces followed until 1826 when the congregation built an elaborate synagogue in St. Alban's Place, Haymarket (London) and renamed itself The Western Synagogue.[2]
Spiritual leadership
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- Sir Jonathan Sacks, formerly Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth[3]
- Rabbi Lionel Rosenfeld[4]
- Rabbi Sam Taylor[5]
Seat of the Chief Rabbi
In November 2003, the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Jonathan Sacks accepted the position as the spiritual leader of the Western Marble Arch Synagogue.[6]
Notable members
- Sir Samuel Montagu MP (Lord Swaythling)[2]
- Sir Stuart Samuel[2]
- Viscount David de Stern[2]
- Constance, Lady Battersea, wife of Cyril Flower, 1st Baron Battersea[2]
- Hannah Primrose, Countess of Rosebery[2]
- Barrington Black
- Lord David Gold
- Sir Gerald Ronson CBE
- Anthony Yadgaroff
Bibliography
- Picciotto, Sketches of Anglo-Jewish History
See also
References
- ^ http://www.jewishgen.org/jcr-uk/london/western/index.htm
- ^ a b c d e f Lindsay, Paul, The Synagogues of London, Vallentine Mitchell, London, 1993, p. 66
- ^ http://www.marblearch.org.uk/who-we-are/our-people/
- ^ http://www.marblearch.org.uk/who-we-are/our-people/
- ^ http://www.marblearch.org.uk/who-we-are/our-people/
- ^ "WMA – Western Marble Arch – Our people". www.marblearch.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
External links
- Synagogue Website
- Western Marble Arch Synagogue on Jewish Communities and Records - UK (hosted by jewishgen.org).