The Schmooze
The accolade of a listed status can be an unwanted gift
Brighton and Hove Reform Synagogue, which was the subject of redevelopment plans, has just been awarded grade II status
April 23, 2025 14:50
Brighton and Hove Reform Synagogue, which was the subject of redevelopment plans, has just been awarded grade II status
April 23, 2025 14:50For a synagogue to be granted listed status ought to be a cause for celebration. It is a recognition of the building’s historic value and, more broadly, of Judaism’s place in the heritage of the nation. But a listing does not always bring unalloyed joy.
I have sympathy for Michael Harris, president of Brighton and Hove Reform Synagogue, the recent recipient of grade II status from Historic England. For Mr Harris, the accolade is an unwanted gift which has thrown a spanner in the works of his 500-member community’s redevelopment and even put its future in “serious jeopardy”.
Shul leaders were planning to demolish the building, which was opened in 1967, and replace it with a block of flats and a smaller synagogue. The new sanctuary would incorporate its most striking feature – a set of stained-glass windows and ark doors that commemorate the victims of the Shoah. Mr Harris disputes Historic England’s contention that the whole building was dedicated as a memorial to the Holocaust and plans to appeal again the decision. A small-to-medium-sized congregation may well feel it should not be left struggling with the maintenance of a building when it wants to secure the future of education, welfare and other communal services.
It is not the only episode that has pitted the claims of the preservation of the past against planning for needs now. When some years ago, Golders Green United Synagogue in London, which was also embarking on redevelopment, received grade II listing, the champagne corks did not start popping. Its vice-chair at the time, Jacqui Zinkin, said candidly: “Being listed is not what we would have dreamed”, and call me a heritage heretic, but I am not exactly awe-struck by the aesthetics of Golders Green Synagogue.
Brighton already has one listed building, the grade II* Orthodox synagogue in Middle Street, a classic Victorian cathedral synagogue, which has lain all but dormant for a number of years. Now, after a feasibility study by the Foundation for Jewish Heritage, which works across Europe, there is a restoration plan on the table to secure it as a cultural centre for concerts and other activities, as well as being used for special occasions such as weddings.
Of course, it is desirable to find appropriate uses for a synagogue once its worship days are over, but there is only so much conservation that can be supported and a balance needs to be struck between honouring history and responding to contemporary demands.
We might think of ourselves as more a people of the book than of the brick, but every synagogue, with its ark and everlasting light, is an echo of the Temple whose radiant splendour once lay at the institutional heart of Judaism. The mosaic floors uncovered by archaeologists in post-Temple synagogues in Israel showed that our Judean ancestors took pride in their buildings.
We probably have all experienced the way in which an imposing setting can enhance the atmosphere of events that take place there. But there is a particular sadness about an old synagogue sparsely populated with worshippers which almost reverberates with its emptiness.
There are nearly 70 listed Jewish sites by Historic England, which include not only synagogues across the country but prayer halls in cemeteries.
Perhaps the time has come for a strategic community-wide review into the Jewish-built heritage in the UK to chart a sensible course ahead.
Not every institution can attract the kind of investment as did Bevis Marks, one of three grade I-listed synagogues in England, which is due to open its new visitor centre soon: its appeal patron was the King, (the Prince of Wales at the time).
So, there may be a case to set up an endowment fund to help communities such as Brighton and Hove Reform with their heritage costs. Such a review could also help determine conservation priorities, though we will not know what in 50 years might be considered valuable.
Modern synagogues seem to be designed more for multi-purpose functionality rather than as architectural statements, with more importance attached to energy efficiency than ornate decoration. But some may yet come to stand as markers of our history and geography in these isles.