Northern English synagogues forced to close

[Behind the Aegis]

The doors of the synagogues of two of the oldest Jewish communities in the UK were closed for the last time in the past two weeks after dwindling attendances meant they were no longer required.

Ryhope Road synagogue in Sunderland and Stoke On Trent Hebrew Congregation were both packed to the rafters for special ceremonies marking the last time services will be held in the buildings.

The Sunderland community, which dates back more than 250 years, welcomed former community members and minister for small communites Rev Malcolm Weisman to its last service on 26 March.

In an emotional sermon, Wiesman noted that although the community no longer will be based in Sunderland, north eastern England, a website and a network of contacts will continue the links.

Special mention was made of the Shul caretaker, Paul Marsden, who has been an ever present fixture of the place for over 40 years.

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[rockymountaindem]

1. That's a shame

I'm always sad when the trend of non-observance hits us too, especially when, IMHO, there's room in our religion for everyone who wants to follow it. I think our communities need to do a better job reaching out to those who might feel excluded or that the religion doesn't speak to them. I've seen some attempts in my particular synagogue over recent years that haven't been too successful. I've seen one, a few years back, that was. We had a Rabbi who was Mr. Charisma and made the services engaging, educational and spiritual without sinking to the low ebb of singing Adon Olam to some pop-music tune. Temple membership and service attendance went way up. Unfortunately he moved into the big leagues at a synagogue in another state with twice the membership of ours. I still miss him. His replacement was kind of boring, and we've lost as many members, if not more, than we had gained. Now we're on to Rabbi #3. I haven't met him yet, but my parents say he's a lot better. I look forward to going to shul this summer.