UK Update: Project Manager named for Welsh Jewish Heritage Center project at the Merthyr Tydfil synagogue

Mazel tov to Neil Richardson, who has been named Project Manager for the project to create a Welsh Jewish Heritage Center in the historic synagogue in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Richardson has extensive experience in the heritage sector, most recently serving as Interim Director of Insole Court in Cardiff.

The Foundation for Jewish Heritage (FJH), which owns the building and oversees the project, said in an announcement  that Richardson’s role will be “to drive forward the Heritage Centre project and oversee a number of consultants who will work on the next Development Phase.”

The synagogue, dedicated in 1877, is Grade II listed and is the most important Jewish heritage site in Wales. It ceased operating in 1983 and has stood empty since 2006, its condition deteriorating.

The FJH purchased the site in 2019. Since then, urgent repairs have been carried out with the support of Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service. 

The project to create the Welsh Jewish Heritage Center received National Lottery Heritage Funding for the Development Phase which was matched by funding from the Welsh Government and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council.

FJH CEO Michael Mail said Richardson will “work with a number of consultants to fully clarify the nature of the [Heritage Center] project and its potential impact.”

Read about the synagogue and project here