Synagogue research: New page: Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation

2026-11-10T16:38:59Z

New page: Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation

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{{short description|'''Reform-heritage synagogue in [[Blackpool]], belonging to the Movement for Progressive Judaism'''}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation
| logo = Blackpool-reform-jewish-congregation-logo.png
| type = Synagogue; registered charity; company limited by guarantee
| founded = {{Start date|1947|11|9}}
| registration_id = 1148088 ([[Charity Commission for England and Wales|Charity Commission]]); company 08091243
| headquarters = The Synagogue, 40 Raikes Parade, Blackpool FY1 4EX
| location = Blackpool, Lancashire
| registration = England and Wales
| key_people = [[Rachel Davina Tax]] (chair)
| website = https://www.brjc.co.uk/
}}
'''Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation''' (BRJC) is a Reform-heritage synagogue in Blackpool, Lancashire, and a community of [[The Movement for Progressive Judaism]].<ref name="BRJCJCR">David Shulman, [https://www.jewishgen.org/jcr-uk/Community/bl2/index.htm Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation], ''JCR-UK'', 13 August 2026, accessed 6 November 2026.</ref><ref name="MPJDirectory">The Movement for Progressive Judaism, [https://progressivejudaism.org.uk/find-a-community/ Find a Community], ''The Movement for Progressive Judaism'', accessed 6 November 2026.</ref> Founded on 9 November 1947, it is registered charity 1148088 and company 08091243, operating from 40 Raikes Parade.<ref name="BRJCJCR" /><ref name="BRJCCompany">Companies House, [https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08091243 Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation (08091243)], ''Find and update company information'', accessed 6 November 2026.</ref> [[Rachel Davina Tax]] is listed as chair on the Charity Commission register checked on 6 November 2026.<ref name="BRJCTrustees">Charity Commission for England and Wales, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5029788/trustees Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation: trustees], ''Register of Charities'', accessed 6 November 2026.</ref>

== History ==
[[Anne J. Kershen|Kershen]] and [[Jonathan A. Romain|Romain]] record 1961 as the year when the congregation, listed as Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation, formally joined the Reform movement. Their appendix distinguishes these post-1942 admission dates from congregational founding dates.<ref name="KR1995Admission">Anne J. Kershen and Jonathan A. Romain, ''Tradition and Change: A History of Reform Judaism in Britain, 1840–1995'', London: Vallentine Mitchell, 1995, pp. 358–359.</ref>

[[JCR-UK]] records that the congregation began under a Liberal name and initially met in a Methodist church in Raikes Parade. It records successive Liberal, Progressive and Reform names during the 1940s and 1950s, with the present name appearing from about 1959. The directory places it at 40 Raikes Parade by 1961.<ref name="BRJCJCR" />

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Selected ministers recorded by JCR-UK
! Minister !! Recorded service !! Source
|-
| [[Simon J. Goldberg]] || About 1951–1959 || <ref name="BRJCJCR" />
|-
| [[Samuel Rodreigues-Pereira]] || About 1976–1978 || <ref name="BRJCJCR" />
|-
| [[Norman Zalud]] || From about 2000; JCR-UK cites the 2019 annual report for subsequent part-time service || <ref name="BRJCJCR" />
|}
Its 2025 report says that members acting as lay readers conduct most services, with visiting rabbinic support. JCR-UK records the congregation in the under-50-household membership band in the 2016 national survey; that is a historical band, not a current membership count.<ref name="BRJCReport2025">Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search?p_p_id=uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet&p_p_lifecycle=2&p_p_state=maximized&p_p_mode=view&p_p_resource_id=%2Faccounts-resource&p_p_cacheability=cacheLevelPage&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_objectiveId=A18804468&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_priv_r_p_mvcRenderCommandName=%2Faccounts-and-annual-returns&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_priv_r_p_organisationNumber=5029788 Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025], ''Annual report and accounts'', January 2026, pp. 2, 4, 6–10, accessed 6 November 2026.</ref><ref name="BRJCJCR" />

== Affiliation and governance ==
According to [[JCR-UK]], the congregation initially belonged to the [[Liberal Judaism (UK)|Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues]] and moved to the organisation later called [[The Movement for Reform Judaism]] in 1961. It became a constituent community of [[The Movement for Progressive Judaism]] when the Reform movement merged into it on 1 January 2026.<ref name="BRJCJCR" /> Its 2025 report describes the charity trustees as the congregation’s council members, including its executive officers and custodial trustees, and states that all those elected at the 2024 AGM were re-elected at the 2025 AGM.<ref name="BRJCReport2025" />

== Charity, officers and accounts ==
The congregation was incorporated on 31 May 2012 as company 08091243, a private company limited by guarantee without share capital and exempt from using “Limited” in its name.<ref name="BRJCCompany" /> It was registered with the [[Charity Commission for England and Wales|Charity Commission]] on 13 July 2012.<ref name="BRJCGovernance">Charity Commission for England and Wales, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5029788/governance Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation: governance], ''Register of Charities'', accessed 6 November 2026.</ref> Its full register address is The Synagogue, 40 Raikes Parade, [[Blackpool]] FY1 4EX.<ref name="BRJCAddress">Charity Commission for England and Wales, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5029788/contact-information Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation: contact information], ''Register of Charities'', accessed 6 November 2026.</ref>

Its governing document is the memorandum and articles incorporated on 31 May 2012, amended by special resolution on 27 April 2017. The registered objects are to advance the Jewish religion, advance education and pursue such other purposes recognised as charitable by the law of England and Wales as its trustees determine.<ref name="BRJCObjects">Charity Commission for England and Wales, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5029788/governing-document?_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_organisationNumber=5029788 Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation: governing document], ''Register of Charities'', accessed 6 November 2026.</ref>

=== Trustees ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Current trustees on the [[Charity Commission for England and Wales|Charity Commission]] register
! Trustee !! Role !! Appointment recorded by the Charity Commission !! End of trusteeship !! Source
|-
| [[Rachel Davina Tax]] || Chair || 28 April 2019 || Listed as current on 6 November 2026 || <ref name="BRJCTrustees" />
|-
| [[James Hardman]] || Trustee || 8 May 2022 || Listed as current on 6 November 2026 || <ref name="BRJCTrustees" />
|-
| [[David Whippman]] || Trustee || 31 May 2020 || Listed as current on 6 November 2026 || <ref name="BRJCTrustees" />
|-
| [[Michael Benjamin Tax]] || Trustee || 28 April 2019 || Listed as current on 6 November 2026 || <ref name="BRJCTrustees" />
|-
| [[Elizabeth Tax (trustee, Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation)|Elizabeth Tax]] || Trustee || 26 October 2012 || Listed as current on 6 November 2026 || <ref name="BRJCTrustees" />
|-
| [[Martin Block (trustee, Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation)|Martin Block]] || Trustee || 26 October 2012 || Listed as current on 6 November 2026 || <ref name="BRJCTrustees" />
|-
| [[Sara Rebekah Tax]] || Trustee || 26 October 2012 || Listed as current on 6 November 2026 || <ref name="BRJCTrustees" />
|-
| [[Alan Charles Martin Cantor]] || Trustee || 11 July 2012 || Listed as current on 6 November 2026 || <ref name="BRJCTrustees" />
|}

=== Company directors ===
The register dates above concern trusteeships. [[Companies House]] records the separate company appointments and resignations below. In particular, the [[Charity Commission for England and Wales|Charity Commission]] still lists [[David Whippman]] as a trustee, while Companies House records his resignation as a director on 18 May 2026.<ref name="BRJCTrustees" /><ref name="BRJCOfficers">Companies House, [https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08091243/officers Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation (08091243): officers], ''Find and update company information'', accessed 6 November 2026.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Current and former company officers recorded by Companies House
! Officer !! Office !! Appointment !! Resignation !! Status on 6 November 2026 !! Source
|-
| [[Martin Daniel Block]] || Director || 25 October 2012 || — || Active || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Alan Charles Martin Cantor]] || Director || 31 May 2012 || — || Active || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[James Hardman]] || Director || 1 January 2026 || — || Active || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Michael Benjamin Tax]] || Director || 28 April 2019 || — || Active || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Nancy Elizabeth Tax]] || Director || 25 October 2012 || — || Active || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Rachel Davina Tax]] || Director || 28 April 2019 || — || Active || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Sara Rebekah Tax]] || Director || 25 October 2012 || — || Active || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Estelle Rosaline Ballan]] || Director || 25 October 2012 || 10 October 2019 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Leigh-Anne Bunting]] || Director || 28 April 2019 || 31 May 2020 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Gillian Ruth Cantor]] || Director || 25 October 2012 || 19 April 2026 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Sandra Cohen]] || Director || 22 April 2015 || 28 April 2017 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Annie Desser]] || Director || 28 April 2017 || 25 April 2019 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Jason Ross Douglas]] || Director || 23 April 2014 || 28 April 2019 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Shirley Carole Douglas]] || Director || 25 October 2012 || 24 November 2018 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Leslie Firth]] || Director || 31 May 2012 || 31 March 2025 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Ilayne Maxine Jones]] || Director || 25 October 2012 || 22 April 2015 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Avril Mannino]] || Director || 29 April 2013 || 19 April 2026 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Angela Michelle Peake]] || Director || 23 April 2014 || 23 April 2014 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| Angela Michelle Peake || Director || 23 April 2014 || 7 May 2023 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Maxine Alyson Perkins]] || Director || 25 October 2012 || 28 April 2017 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Gerald Stoll]] || Director || 25 October 2012 || 23 April 2014 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| [[Leon David Tax]] || Director || 31 May 2012 || 29 June 2013 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| Rachel Davina Tax || Director || 25 October 2012 || 28 April 2017 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|-
| David Whippman || Director || 31 May 2020 || 18 May 2026 || Resigned || <ref name="BRJCOfficers" />
|}

=== Accounts ===
The published accounts separate the main income and expenditure account from a burial account. The register’s total income and expenditure include both; the table below uses those combined totals, not the main account alone.<ref name="BRJCReport2025" /><ref name="BRJCOverview">Charity Commission for England and Wales, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5029788 Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation: charity overview], ''Register of Charities'', accessed 6 November 2026.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Recent accounts (£; combined main and burial accounts)
! Year ended 31 December !! Income !! Expenditure !! Net assets / reserves !! Source
|-
| 2024 || 32,478 || 40,905 || 137,171 || <ref name="BRJCReport2025" />
|-
| 2025 || 38,046 || 52,134 || 123,083 || <ref name="BRJCReport2025" />
|}

== Relations with Israel ==
The November 2020 issue of the congregation’s newsletter, Migdal, named [[Magen David Adom]] and [[Technion - Israel Institute of Technology|Technion University in Haifa]] as beneficiaries of that year’s Kol Nidre appeal, alongside [[Trinity Hospice Blackpool]].<ref name="BRJCMigdalNov2020">Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation, [https://web.archive.org/web/20211130113407id_/https://www.brjc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2020-November.pdf Migdal], ''Migdal'', November 2020, p. 12; Wayback capture, 30 November 2021, accessed 6 November 2026.</ref> In February 2021 the newsletter reported donations to [[Magen David Adom UK]], [[Technion UK]] and Trinity Hospice, and printed an acknowledgement from Magen David Adom saying the donation would support medical supplies and equipment. The reported amounts are set out below.<ref name="BRJCMigdalFeb2021">Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation, [https://web.archive.org/web/20211130124310id_/https://www.brjc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021-February.pdf Migdal], ''Migdal'', February 2021, p. 17; Wayback capture, 30 November 2021, accessed 6 November 2026.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Appeal donations reported in Migdal, February 2021
! Recipient !! Amount reported !! Source
|-
| Magen David Adom UK || £300 || <ref name="BRJCMigdalFeb2021" />
|-
| Technion UK || £300 || <ref name="BRJCMigdalFeb2021" />
|-
| Trinity Hospice || £300 || <ref name="BRJCMigdalFeb2021" />
|}
The August 2021 issue announced that its next Kol Nidre appeal would be divided between “[[Hadassa hospital]]” and a UK multiple-sclerosis charity. It did not identify a hospital campus or report the eventual sum donated.<ref name="BRJCMigdalAug2021">Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation, [https://web.archive.org/web/20260120105413id_/https://www.brjc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/2021-August.pdf Migdal], ''Migdal'', August 2021, inside front cover and pp. 16–17; Wayback capture, 20 January 2026, accessed 6 November 2026.</ref> The same issue reproduced an article by [[Yvette Alt Miller]], “The Flag of Israel: 7 Facts”, with Israeli-flag imagery.<ref name="BRJCMigdalAug2021" />

== See also ==
* [[The Movement for Progressive Judaism]]
* [[The Movement for Reform Judaism]]
* [[Liberal Judaism (UK)]]
* [[Synagogues in the United Kingdom]]

== External links ==
* [https://www.brjc.co.uk/ Official website]
* [https://www.facebook.com/BRJCShule Official Facebook page]

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Charities in England and Wales]]
[[Category:Jewish charities in the United Kingdom]]

Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation - Revision history

Synagogue research: New page: Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation