(JHE) — This year is a big one for the Manchester Jewish Museum. The museum opened 40 years ago, in 1984 — and it is anchored by the historic Spanish and Portuguese synagogue that this year is celebrating its 150th anniversary.
Events and activities will be scheduled throughout the year to mark the anniversary.
Designed by Jewish architect Edward Solomons and inspired by the Spanish and Portuguese origins of its members, the synagogue, now a Grade II listed building, opened on May 6, 1874 as the first Sephardi synagogue in Manchester. It closed for worship in 1983, and then housed the Jewish museum from 1984.
The Museum itself reopened in 2021 after being closed for two years for a large-scale, £6 million expansion and redevelopment that saw the construction of an award-winning modern new wing and full restoration of the synagogue, with a focus on the interior decorations and stained glass windows.
Last year, the Museum opened the Jewish time capsule dating back to 1873, when the synagogue was under construction. It had been discovered in 2020 during renovation work. Workers had found the time capsule — a large, sealed glass jar — hidden in the wall near the ark. It contained old coins, synagogue documents and newspapers dating from the week of the capsule’s burial, including the Jewish Chronicle, the Times, and the Manchester Guardian.
Watch a video by the Museum about the synagogue and anniversary.
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