Lord Sugar was a guest of honour at Chigwell and Hainault United Synagogue as the building was reopened and rededicated after a makeover, part funded by the business magnate and his family.

The site in Essex will now be known as The Sugar Community Campus and the synagogue itself will be the Lord and Lady Sugar Community Hall.

The project also included the linking of the synagogue building and the community hall, now the Johnny and Minnie Simons Hall, named in memory of Lady Sugar’s parents.

(l-r) Chigwell and Hainault Synagogue senior rabbi, Rafi Goodwin, the Chief Rabbi and Lord Sugar (Photo: the United Synagogue)

The synagogue’s refurbishment has taken around 20 months as more than 1,000 members of the community made donations, which were then matched by the Sugar family, who live in Essex. The United Synagogue also contributed funding.

Thanking the star of The Apprentice and his wife, Lady Sugar, the synagogue’s chairman and co-chair of the building, Colin Franklin, said: “In the very heart of our community, in the place where we gather, where we learn and celebrate, your family’s commitment to this synagogue and to our shared values is an inspiration to us. Thank you on behalf of us all”.

Lord Sugar said afterwrds that it was “a great honour to attend the reopening of Chigwell and Hainault Synagogue...The building is in the very heart of the community I grew up in and will continue as a place where people can gather, learn and celebrate.”

It was a double celebration as senior Rabbinic couple, Rabbi Rafi and Rebbetzin Chaya Goodwin, were formally installed in office.

Chigwell and Hainault Synagogue's Rabbi Rafi Goodwin was officially installed as the community's senior rabbi (Photo: United Synagogue)

The Chief Rabbi addressed the community, praising the spiritual leadership provided by “a most wonderful, tremendous, inspirational couple”.

In his address, Rabbi Goodwin noted the lesson for the community that “each person can offer something that the next person can’t”.

Chigwell and Hainault Synagogue held a service to rededicate the building after extensive redevelopment, part funded by the Sugar family (Photo: United Synagogue)

He said: “Now that we are blessed with this beautiful, stunning new synagogue we must make sure to make full use of it, and we are not just limited to the building either, we must take the light that emanates from here to the whole community and beyond.”