Central Synagogue

Orthodox synagogue in the City of Westminster, London, England

The Central Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 133-141 Great Portland Street, with additional frontage to Hallam Street, in the City of Westminster, London, England. The congregation worships in the Ashkenazi rite and is a founding member of the United Synagogue. It operates under the United Synagogue’s registered charity status (Registered Charity No. 242552).

The Central Synagogue has been in Great Portland Street for more than 155 years and forms an integral part of Anglo-Jewish history. It traces its origins to 1848, when it was established as a branch of the Great Synagogue to serve the growing Jewish population in London's West End. A synagogue existed on the site from 1855 at 120 Great Portland Street. In 1868, funding was approved for a new building under the chairmanship of Sir Anthony de Rothschild. The foundation stone was laid on 18 March 1869 by Baron Lionel de Rothschild, and the ornate structure, designed by architect Nathan Solomon Joseph in a Moresque/Oriental style, was consecrated on 7 April 1870 by Chief Rabbi Nathan Marcus Adler.

The original building was destroyed by a German bomb on 10 May 1941 during the Blitz. The present synagogue, designed by architect C. Edmund Wilford, was rebuilt and opened in 1958, incorporating twenty-six stained-glass windows illustrating Jewish festivals. It continues to serve as a central place of worship in the West End.

Zionist Synagogue

Rabbi Barry Marcus, 2008:

We are equally delighted to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Israel, especially in the presence of His Excellency, the Ambassador of Israel, Ron Prosor and our other distinguished dignitaries. We salute the people of Israel for their remarkable accomplishments, their courage in the face of constant adversity, steadfastness and resilience in their quest for peace in the Middle East, which we hope and pray will be a reality in the not too distant future.

Associated charities

Associated charities

Name	Charity number	Date of registration	Date dissolved
The Central Synagogue General Charities Fund	284264	03 March 1982	20 July 2012
Central Synagogue Community Chest	1076720	23 July 1999

People

The congregation has been led by Rabbi Barry Lerer since 2018.

Council members

Sara Cohen | Mervyn Druian | Leonard Fertleman | James Hyman | Michele Joseph | Jonathan Metliss | Lois Peltz | Adrienne Phillips | Laurie Phillips | Harold Schogger | Daphne Schogger | Maurice Shamash | Rosalie Stevens

Representatives at the Board of Deputies

Jonathan Metliss | Maurice Shamash

Funding

• Reuben Foundation | The Sir John Ritblat Family Foundation.

Controversies

In 2024, retired rabbi Barry Marcus (a former senior figure associated with Central Synagogue) agreed to repay £2.35 million to two charities after a police investigation found that the funds had been held in his personal bank accounts for several years without proper distribution. Marcus, who had received an MBE, cooperated with the National Crime Agency probe.

Timeline

The following timeline is compiled directly from the Central Synagogue's 50th anniversary brochure and lists every dated item in chronological order. All names of people, rabbis, organisations, synagogues, and groups (including Holocaust Memorial Day) are enclosed in square brackets for MediaWiki linking.

Timeline of the Central Synagogue, Great Portland Street (1848–2008)

Year	Event
1848	Authorities at the Great Synagogue at Duke's Place in the City of London decided to establish a branch Synagogue more conveniently located in the West End district to satisfy the religious requirements of many Jews who had begun to migrate there since the beginning of the reign of Queen Victoria.
1853	Fifteen members of the Great Synagogue visited a warehouse at 120 Great Portland Street which was considered suitable to be converted into a Synagogue. It was agreed that this was to be the site of the West End branch of the Great Synagogue.
1855	The ‘Branch Synagogue’ was consecrated. The officiating clergy at the Consecration Ceremony were The Very Rev. Chief Rabbi Dr. N. M. Adler, Rev. Simon Ascher, Chazan of the Great Synagogue and Rev. A. L. Green. The membership grew and the need for a permanent Synagogue became apparent.
1869	On 18 March the foundation stone of the first Synagogue to be built on the present site was laid by Baron Lionel de Rothschild, M.P. The name was to be ‘The Central Synagogue’.
1870	On 7 April the completed Central Synagogue was Consecrated by the Chief Rabbi, Dr. Adler. Construction of the ornate building was completed in a year. The Ark was opened by Sir Moses Montefiore, then eighty-five years of age.
1870	On 14 July the Act bringing into existence the United Synagogue received the Royal Assent and the Central Synagogue, now no longer under the aegis of the Great Synagogue, became one of the five original member Synagogues.
1905	A bronze and marble tablet to the memory of the 116 Jewish soldiers who died in the South African war was affixed to the Great Portland Street facade of the Synagogue. The Memorial Plaque was unveiled by Field-Marshal Earl Roberts, K.G.
1905	On 6 May the Golden Jubilee Service was held. The Chief Rabbi, Dr. Herman Adler, delivered the sermon and the service was conducted by Rev. Michael Adler and Rev. E. Spero.
1915	Leave of absence was granted to Rev. Michael Adler in order that he could serve in the Armed Forces. Rev. B. N. Michelson and Mr. M. Zeffert carried out his Synagogue duties. In 1917 the Synagogue basement was turned into an official air-raid shelter.
1920	On 19 September a special service was held to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the Consecration of the Synagogue on its present site. The Very Rev. Dr. J. Hertz, the Chief Rabbi, preached the sermon. During the service, Sir Adolph Tuck lit 18 candles on the war Memorial Candelabrum in memory of the 18 fallen Members. A further candle was lit by the father of a departed officer.
1925	The Ladies' Guild was formed.
1934	Rev. M. Adler, D.S.O., B.A., retired after thirty-one years of service to the Central Synagogue and Rev. Philip Cohen, B.A., was appointed Minister.
1941	On 10 May the Central Synagogue was destroyed by enemy bombing. A year earlier permission had been granted for the Synagogue to be used as an assembly centre for temporary refuge for those whose homes had been destroyed but fortunately no-one was in the building at the time of the bombing. During the war, Rev. Philip Cohen was granted leave of absence in order to take up his duties as a Chaplain to H.M. Forces. Rev. E. Nemeth, B.A., was appointed temporary Minister. Sabbath and festival services continued at temporary premises at Woburn House.
1946	Rev. Simeon Isaacs, B.A., H.C.F., of the South-East London Synagogue, was appointed Minister. A temporary Synagogue with 550 seats was built.
1951	In February Rev. Simon Hass was appointed as Cantor. Rev. Hass' fine voice embellished the Synagogue services for many years, during which time his fame spread as one of the world's great cantors.
1954	In May the Community suffered the grievous loss of its beloved Minister, Rev. S. Isaacs, B.A. A Memorial Service was held, at which the Very Rev. Israel Brodie, the Chief Rabbi, paid tribute to his services to the Community.
1955	In May, after the abolition of licensing restrictions, it was decided to rebuild a fine permanent replacement Synagogue on its original present site. Two months later, Rev. Cyril I. Shine, B.A., of the North Finchley and Woodside Park District Synagogue was appointed Minister.
1956	On 4 February the rebuilding of the new Synagogue commenced. The foundation stone of the new Central Synagogue was laid by Sir Isaac Wolfson Bt. and consecrated by the Chief Rabbi, Dr. Israel Brodie.
1958	The consecration of the new Central Synagogue took place on 23 March. The service was conducted by the Chief Rabbi, Dr. Israel Brodie, who gave the address, as well as Rev. Cyril Shine and Rev. Simon Hass, in the presence of a large and distinguished gathering which included the Mayor of St. Marylebone, His Excellency The Ambassador of Israel, Dr. Elihu Elath, the President of the United Synagogue, the Hon. Ewen Montagu, Q.C. and Sir William Wakefield, M.P. The Chairman of the Rebuilding Committee was Lord Wolfson of Marylebone. The Communal Hall was dedicated by Mr. A. Wix in memory of his parents. The dedication of the Children's Synagogue took place in the presence of a large gathering of member families.
1960	Sir Bernard Waley-Cohen was elected Lord Mayor of London, and Rev. Cyril Shine was appointed Domestic Chaplain to the Lord Mayor. This was the first occasion that a Jewish Chaplain had been appointed to the Lord Mayor of London since the inception of the Lord Mayoralty nearly 800 years ago. The Lord Mayor, accompanied by his Sheriffs, attended the Synagogue Service on the first Sabbath after his election.
1963	In September, for the first time in the history of the Synagogue, a midnight Selichot Service conducted by Rev. Simon Hass was held. This annual service to herald the Jewish New Year became a regular event in the calendar of the Central Synagogue. In December 1963 Rev. Cyril Shine was awarded his Rabbinical Diploma by the Chief Rabbi and the Rabbinical Examination Board of Jews College. Sir Isaac Wolfson, Bt., and Dayan Swift paid tribute to the Rabbi's activities in the congregation at a reception in his honour.
1967	At the time of the Six Day War in June, the community gathered in the Wix Hall at a meeting called to show their solidarity with the people of Israel.
1970	On 22 November a Centenary Service was held. The service was conducted by the Emeritus Chief Rabbi, Sir Israel Brodie, K.B.E., Rabbi Cyril Shine and the Rev. Simon Hass. The Secretary of State for Home Affairs, the Rt. Hon. Reginald Maudling, M.P., was invited to unveil a commemorative plaque in the vestibule.
1973	The attack on Israel by Syria at the commencement of The Yom Kippur War was announced to the Community by Rabbi Shine during the Synagogue services on that day. Special prayers were intoned.
1988	Rabbi Cyril Shine retired after more than thirty years of dedicated service to the Community. He had been the religious leader of the Synagogue at the time of its physical reconstruction and he was instrumental in maintaining the communal unity of the families which remain the backbone of the Synagogue. Rabbi Silverman was appointed.
1993	Rev. Simon Hass retired as Chazan after more than forty years service to the Central Synagogue Community.
1995	Rabbi Barry Marcus was appointed after the departure of Rabbi Silverman.
1998	Rabbi Marcus pioneered the concept of a one day educational visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Rabbi Marcus has continued to lead such visits which have educated a wide range of people from all denominations in Great Britain. Among those who participated was The Rt. Hon. Andrew Dismore M.P., who was then instrumental in the establishment of Holocaust Memorial Day in the U.K. Rabbi Marcus serves as a government appointed Trustee to the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust as also a Trustee of Yad Vashem U.K.
2000	Central Synagogue was twinned with the Jewish Community in Belarus and instrumental in the building of a Jewish Boarding School in Pinsk.
2003	Rev. Steven Leas became the Cantor at Central Synagogue and assembled a new choir of fine young singers. Once again the Synagogue services became enriched by inspiring singing and intonation of prayers that are remembered from the days when Rev. Simon Hass was our Cantor.
2004	On 27 April The Memorial Service for our Emeritus Rabbi Cyril Shine took place at the Synagogue. The Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks K.B.E., Lord Wolfson of Marylebone and Rabbi Shine's daughter, Gabrielle, were among the eloquent speakers. The restoration took place of the Memorial Candelabrum honouring the 19 members of the Central Synagogue who gave their lives in active service during the First World War. The broken Candelabrum was discovered in a store room by Rabbi Marcus and Mr. Leonard Fertleman and was completely restored through the efforts of Mr. Fertleman and Mr. Douglas O'Halloran our Caretaker. It is the only artefact to remain after the destruction of the Synagogue by enemy bombing in the Second World War and it now has a permanent place in the Synagogue. The 19 memorial candles are lit every year at the commencement of Yom Kippur and remind the congregation of sacrifice, survival and continuity.
2005	On Saturday 7 November at the invitation of Rabbi Marcus, the German Ambassador, His Excellency Thomas Matussek, attended the Sabbath service together with other officials of the German Embassy. After the service, the Ambassador addressed the community in the Wix Hall and spoke of the dignity of the Synagogue service and his commitment to better understanding. Jewish Music Central, the brainchild of Rev. Steven Leas and Geraldine Auerbach M.B.E., of the Jewish Music Institute, organised their first major concert ‘We Wrote the Songs’, and this took place at the Queen Elizabeth Hall to a full house.
2006	Sir Elie Wiesel K.B.E. attended the Shabbat services at Central Synagogue in the same week that he became a Knight of the British Empire in recognition of his literary achievements and services to humanity.
2007	Rabbi Marcus was invited to speak at the Anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide at City Hall and thereafter invited by the Survivors Organisation to visit Rwanda in October 2007 to offer support and guidance.
2008	On 29 March a special service will be held to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the reconsecration of the Central Synagogue. Rev. Steven Leas will lead the service accompanied by the Synagogue Choir. Rabbi Barry Marcus will deliver the sermon and officially welcome our distinguished visitors.

See also

United Synagogue Great Synagogue of London

External links

• centralsynagogue.org.uk