Brighton and Hove has a lot going for it. A coastal environment within a reasonable commute of central London; some elegant properties, decent restaurants and centrally located nightlife. But according to the Jewish Institute for Policy Research (JPR), the latest available figures (2011 Census) indicate a Jewish community of just 2,670, accounting for around 1 per cent of the local population. Based on the Census figures, eight per cent of Brighton Jews are aged 85 or above, four times the general number.
JPR points out that the Jewish community has fallen by 20 per cent since the 2001 Census, which recorded 3,358 in the area, placing it among the research body's major "places of decline".
Some local leaders argue that the Jewish presence is significantly higher than the Census indicates. What they do not dispute is that it is not a particularly youthful one.
An ageing community brings the attendant long-term welfare problems now facing professional and lay leaders. There is no Jewish school, kosher shop or youth movement provision. The Ralli Hall community centre relies on outside hire, for example from a Pilates studio, to remain viable.
And although there is a significant Jewish student presence, "they have very little impact on the community as they want to do their own thing," says Sussex Jewish Representative Council president Beryl Sharpe. "Few young people stay." The local residential Hillel is in an enviable location in the centre of town, alongside the historic Middle Street Synagogue, lovingly preserved as a heritage site but long closed as a place of worship, reflecting the movement and shrinkage of the Jewish population.
Mrs Sharpe is one of the four self-proclaimed "chair legs" - along with Sarah Wilks, Debra Goodman and Jessica Rosenthal - who took on responsibility for the rep council when the last president stood down because of ill health five years ago. She talks up its virtues but is honest about its problems, recalling wistfully: "When our kids were little, it was so vibrant here. There was BBYO, JLGB, guides and brownies. Middle Street used to have overflow services at Yomtov. It's so many years since we had a kosher deli or butcher's. When we did, no one supported them."
Echoing these sentiments, Mrs Wilks reflects: "I can't say 'I fancy spaghetti bolognese tonight' - I'll go out and buy some kosher mince."
Although major supermarkets have kosher sections, consumers note a lack of understanding of the Jewish market. "Someone should tell them that we only need Yahrzeit candles once a year but we need Shabbos candles regularly," Mrs Rosenthal points out.
Without kosher stores or a school, Orthodox families are less likely to come to the area, which in religious terms, runs the gamut from Progressive to Chabad.
Mrs Sharpe says that although a fragmented community, "we can get up to 1,000 at a Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration. But afterwards, the people who come out of the woodwork go back in."
The discussion with the "chair legs" is taking place during a well-attended lunch club for senior citizens at Ralli Hall, where Mrs Sharp's daughter, Fiona, is lending a hand. Fiona Sharpe is chairperson of Brighton and Hove Jewish Welfare Board, which provides monetary assistance to needy individuals and families. She has returned to the town after living abroad and says it not uncommon for those who have moved away from Brighton to come back once they have children for a quieter pace of life. "It's fantastic, by the sea and near to London," she says. Ralli Hall manager Maxine Gordon is another who has returned to the town. She is pleased to be back, but with a young son, bemoans the fact that "other than cheder, there is nothing for young people".
Ralli Hall hosts a variety of social and cultural activities and is used by most communal organisations. It was home to Brighton and Hove Progressive congregation while it awaited the completion of a more compact, flexi-space redevelopment of its synagogue. The first service in the new premises was held last month.
Its minister, Rabbi Elizabeth Tikvah Sarah, says that for her community, the temporary accommodation "has been perfect - and Ralli Hall was not using the space on Shabbat morning".
As someone "all about inclusion and equality" - Rabbi Sarah is a pioneer in advancing Jewish gay and lesbian rights - she is pleased at the diversity of her 320-member congregation and a programme of activities ranging from a Fairtrade week to a thriving "Shabbatots".
The town's main Orthodox shul, Brighton and Hove Hebrew Congregation, also has ambitious building plans for its New Church Road base that better reflects present and future needs. The shul's 300 members could all be accommodated in the current synagogue, where the average Shabbat attendance is around 50. BHHC chairman David Seidel is in discussions over a scheme that would see part of the site sold off for housing and the remainder converted into a site "in keeping with current needs rather than historical ones". The intention is to provide a more intimate, adjustable space for services, plus facilities including a functions hall, kitchens, rabbi's accommodation and meeting rooms. There is additionally the possibility of a kosher café and shop.
A potential development partner has been chosen and assuming that planning consent is received, building work could start early in 2017. Mr Sediel says that as well as funding a more relevant facility, the property deal would leave "a substantial reserve. One of the best things we can do is to secure the future.
"There has been a civic renaissance in Brighton. The shuls have to follow that with a renaissance of their own."
BHHC's Rabbi Hershel Rader arrived from London six years ago. He prefers it to the capital - "it's more relaxed, a better quality of life and there are a lot of cultural attractions." He is excited by the proposed redevelopment, which he believes will make the shul more appealing to people both within and outside the area. He adds that a key challenge for local shuls is attracting Israelis who have moved to Brighton and Hove. "They are not used to things that take place around a synagogue."
The town's other Orthodox synagogue, Hove Hebrew Congregation, has been making its own adjustments to a declining community and representatives of both shuls acknowledge that talks over a merger have periodically taken place down the years. Mr Seidel says that "unofficial discussions" have been held in recent months. His personal view is that merger "would make sense because we all know each other and it would provide economies of scale".
BHHC is also responsible for Middle Street and Mr Seidel says it is exploring ways of increasing use of the building, which opened in 1875.
Over at Brighton and Hove Reform Synagogue, Rabbi Andrea Zanardo says that in his three years in Brighton, he has experienced "a sense of community that I didn't find in London. There's no competition between synagogues. I sometimes attend an Orthodox minyan and am made welcome."
The minister says the congregation is on the conservative side of the movement (it rejected Reform's new policy to recognise the Jewish status of the children of Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers). It is the largest in Sussex with around 500 members and he is encouraged that "we are beginning to attract young families and young adults". He would also like to involve more of the Israelis living in the area and would be interested in doing "some serious research with JPR to find out why they don't reach out".
Mrs Wilks is also heavily involved in local welfare provision having been a founder of Helping Hands, providing a range of voluntary services, at the turn of the century. "I was just back from Edgware and felt there was no Jewish Care-style network in Brighton," she recalls. The organisation has grown to a three-figure army of volunteers dealing with problems such as mental health, unemployment and loneliness and isolation. Financed by donations, it has "filled a big gap".
Jewish Care is represented in the town through its care home, Hyman Fine House, where manager Natasha Carson - who formerly served the charity in north-west London - conducts a proud tour of the site. "We feel very much part of Jewish Care but we live by the sea," she says. In keeping with the more country feel, the home has "hen power", with chickens in the garden area.
2016 is a landmark for the community - the 250th anniversary of the first Jewish presence in Brighton. Mr Seidel hopes it can serve as a springboard for revival. "The Brighton community has an incredible amount of potential. It's heartening that all congregations are trying to make things happen. You can't mourn for what was. You have to look at what you can do."
