Community
United Synagogue celebrates 150th in style
The event was postponed from last year due to the pandemic
December 3, 2021 11:27
The event was postponed from last year due to the pandemic
December 3, 2021 11:27A sumptuous reception at the Guildhall on Monday brought together around 300 communal leaders, dignitaries and others to mark the United Synagogue’s landmark 150th anniversary.
The event hosted in the historic venue’s great hall — a 15th century building with 27 metre high ceilings and lavish decorations — was postponed last year due to the pandemic.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis lit an 18th century chanukiah that was once used in the now-closed Hambro congregation, one of the synagogue body’s five founding shuls.
Guests were treated to a selection of canapes and chanukah treats with festive music performed by the Wolfson Hillel Primary School choir.
Celebrating the milestone, Rabbi Mirvis said the US had become “the most magnificent and outstanding religious organisation, always growing, always developing.”
Reflecting on the synagogue body’s formation in 1870, US president Michael Goldstein said “something truly monumental happened here in the City of London 150 years ago.”
“The Great, The Hambro, The New, Central and Bayswater all joined forces to become, via an Act of Parliament, the United Synagogue. Instead of duplicating resources, they worked together for the good of the community.
“This was a revolutionary idea and still underpins what we do a century and a half later,” he said.
Currently, there was “much to celebrate”, Mr Goldstein told guests, as he revealed that more than 1,000 new members had joined its congregations this year.
Some 200 people were under the age of 30, while the US’s on-demand video service had drawn a further 150,000 online users since its inception launched last summer.
Mr Goldstein also praised its Covid-19 response, thanking religious leaders for “working around the clock to support their communities” and the US burial society for its “extraordinary care and compassion” to mourners during the period.
“Our chairs are not paid for their work and they, together with their fellow honorary officers, synagogue council members and countless volunteers, have kept members connected and supported, even when their synagogue doors were closed,” he said.
In his speech, Rabbi Mirvis described the event host, the City of London, as “one of the great shamashim” as he reflected on the area’s rich Jewish history.
The chief rabbi also expressed gratitude to the local authority over its recent decision to reject a proposal to build a 48-storey block next to Bevis Marks — a decision in keeping with “the spirit of the ongoing support that has been delivered for our community.”