Westminster Synagogue
| Westminster Synagogue | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Logo | |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Founder(s) | |
| Dissolved | |
| Registration ID | |
| Status | |
| Headquarters | |
| Location | Kent House, Knightsbridge, London |
| Area served | |
| Services | |
| Registration | |
| Key people | |
| Website | westminstersynagogue.org |
| Remarks | |
The Westminster Synagogue is an independent Progressive Jewish congregation and synagogue near Hyde Park in Central London. It is located in Kent House, a restored Victorian town house in Knightsbridge that also houses the Czech Memorial Scrolls Centre.[1][2]
History
Founded in 1957 by Rabbi Harold Reinhart, who left the West London Synagogue with 80 members to form the New London Jewish Congregation (later renamed Westminster Synagogue). Early services were held at Caxton Hall, Westminster. In 1960 the congregation acquired Kent House.[3]
It remains independent but uses the Movement for Reform Judaism Beit Din and has links with Liberal Judaism and West London Synagogue burial facilities.
Clergy
| Ordinal | Officeholder | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harold Reinhart | 1957 | 1969 |
| 2 | Chaim Stern | 1969 | 1971 |
| 3 | Albert Friedlander | 1971 | 1997 |
| 4 | Thomas Salamon | 1997 | 2017 |
| 5 | Benji Stanley | 2017 | 2025 |
| 6 | Kamila Kopřivová | 2023 | incumbent |
Memorial Scrolls Trust
Since 1964 the synagogue has housed and supported the Memorial Scrolls Trust, caring for Torah scrolls from Bohemia and Moravia collected during the Second World War. A museum is on the third floor of Kent House. The 60th anniversary was marked in February 2024 with attendees including Israeli embassy representatives.[3][4]
Relation to Israel and Zionism
The synagogue's official values affirm "Jewish national self-determination in the land of Israel" and "a Love of Zion (ahavat Tzion)", stating members feel bound to K’lal Yisrael including in Israel and wish for peace and human flourishing.[5]
It has hosted events such as the July 2025 symposium "Where Next for the Zionist Dream?" featuring speakers including Natasha Hausdorff (UK Lawyers for Israel), David Cohen (former UJIA/BICOM chair) and others.[6]
Post-October 2023 the community has discussed its stance on Israel extensively; rabbis have expressed love for Israel as central to Jewish life. Rabbi Benji Stanley left in 2025 to study in Israel. The synagogue supports a partner community in Jerusalem and lists resources for Israeli kibbutzim and organisations.[7][8]
Notes
- ↑ JCR-UK entry on Westminster Synagogue
- ↑ Kent House, Knightsbridge, accessed 11 December 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Access to Archives: Westminster Synagogue, The National Archives
- ↑ Leo Barnard, The Czech Memorial Scrolls, Jewish Virtual Library, 2008
- ↑ Our Values, Westminster Synagogue website
- ↑ WS Symposium: Where Next for the Zionist Dream?, Westminster Synagogue
- ↑ Westminster Synagogue AGM Online Review 2025
- ↑ Ways to Support, Westminster Synagogue