More than 15 historic synagogues all over England can be visited at various times during England’s 15th annual Heritage Open Days.
They include synagogues in Reading, Bristol, Exeter, Hull, Cheltenham, Bournemouth, Brighton, Manchester — and more. There will also be tours of four Jewish cemeteries in Brighton, London, Liberpool, and King’s Lynn.
Click here to see the synagogue list
Click here to see the cemetery list
A chance to see inside the synagogue built by Sir Moses Montefiore in 1833. The nearby Mausoleum contains the tombs of Sir Moses and Lady Judith Montefiore. The Synagogue was designed by David Mocatta and was the first synagogue to be built in England by a Jewish architect.
Access is limited due to the historic nature of the buildings.
Access to buildings via woodland path.
Visit the Garnethill synagogue as part of the Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival, an annual event celebrating the city’s architecture, culture & heritage through a free programme of open buildings and events taking place over one week in September.
It is Scotland’s first purpose-built Synagogue. As well as continuing to be an active place of worship, the building is the home of the Scottish Jewish Archive Centre and Museum.
A specially curated programme of music spanning many genres. Numbers familiar from stage and screen will surprise you with their connections to Willesden. Event for adults.
Admission £8, Concessions (job-seekers, students, over 65): £4
Booking – www.theus.org.uk/exhibition
Join curator Hester Abrams for a tour that brings to life the stories of women who made their mark in science, medicine, government, the High Street and the arts, from Rosalind Franklin to H Samuel.
The Duomo & The Great Synagogue: An Evening of Italian Culture
An evening of Jewish and Florentine architecture, culture, music, and food.
• Informal talks about the history and architecture of two of Florence, Italy’s grandest and most iconic structures — the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral (the Duomo) and the Great Synagogue — by Ross King, author of the national bestseller Brunelleschi’s Dome, and noted scholar Professor Francesco Spagnolo, Curator of The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life at UC Berkeley.
• Q&A session moderated by Gail Price, former Executive Director of The American Institute of Architects Santa Clara Valley Chapter.
•The San Jose Chamber players with Cantor Sharon Bernstein presenting both Jewish and Italian songs.
• Italian appetizers and ice cream.
A series of events starting September 1 and continuing until the end of the year will be coordinated as the B’nai B’rith Jewish Heritage in the UK Festival — organised under the international umbrella of the European Days of Jewish Culture (EDJC), whose theme this year is “Renewal.”
Click here to download a PDF calendar of events
(Click here for the “flipsnack” online catalogue of events).
Willesden Jewish Cemetery: 150 years of Heritage 1873 – 2023 Guided Walk
As part of the year long celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Willesden Jewish Cemetery, this guided walk will tell the story of the establishment of the cemetery, highlighting the early years of the United Synagogue, the people who made it happen and their role in the community.
The Willesden Jewish cemetery celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.
This will be one of the main events. The cemetery says:
View our new exhibition of archives in the Heritage Centre
• Have a look at the display in the historic grade II listed portico, highlighting some key stories of those buried here
• Enjoy the permanent exhibition and introductory film in the Heritage Centre
• Take a stroll in our transformed historic gardens with a new emphasis on biodiversity!
• Join us on a new free guided walk at 2.30 pm when we will reveal the early history of this unique Cemetery and the people behind its creation
This is a special occasion for our community to celebrate this important milestone. Throughout the afternoon our volunteers will be on hand to share their knowledge of Willesden Jewish Cemetery, Jewish traditions and culture.
Open Day to share plans for Welsh Jewish Heritage Centre in Merthyr Tydfil.
The public is invited to explore Merthyr Tydfil’s historic synagogue and help shape plans to create a Welsh Jewish Heritage Centre.
There will be tours of the synagogue throughout the day, along with music from a Welsh klezmer band and a talk on the history of Merthyr’s once-thriving
Jewish community.
The project team will be on hand to find out what local people think of the plans for the future of the building, and record their memories of its past life.
Merthyr Tydfil Synagogue was built in the 1870s and is the oldest purpose-built synagogue surviving in Wales. After the congregation left in 1983, its condition deteriorated. The Foundation for Jewish Heritage purchased it in 2019 and the Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, visited in 2021. The following year, the Foundation secured funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Welsh government and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council to develop the plans.
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