Guildford Synagogue refers both to a probably medieval synagogue and to a modern congregation in

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

Medieval synagogue

Jews probably arrived in

during the 12th century. It is widely believed that they built a synagogue (circa 1180) in the High Street, on a site that is now owned by the retail outlet ''Accessorize''. There is a small plaque outside the shop to mark the spot. In 1995, during excavations at the site of the old synagogue, archaeologists led by Mary Alexander of the

Guildford Museum Guildford Museum is the main museum in the town of Guildford, Surrey, England. The museum is on Quarry Street, a narrow road lined by pre-1900 cottages running just off the pedestrianised High Street. This main site of the museum forms the gate ...

found a chamber with steps down from street level. It was ornately decorated with pattern designs. In the east of the room is an alcove and a pillar where scorch marks demonstrate that a light was often burning in this place. The assumption is that the alcove is the

Aron Kodesh A Torah ark (also known as the ''Heikhal'', or the ''Aron Kodesh'') refers to an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark, also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' or ''aron h ...

(Holy Ark) and that the mark is left from a

Ner Tamid Malta - Mosta - Rotunda in 57 ies. A sanctuary lamp, chancel lamp, altar lamp, everlasting light, or eternal flame is a light that shines before the altar of sanctuaries in many Jewish and Christian places of worship. Prescribed in Exodus 27:20- ...

(Everlasting Light). Being the only chamber of its kind in England, there has been much dispute over its use, but the most popular theory and all the evidence points towards the probability that Guildford has the oldest synagogue remains in the British Isles and one of the oldest in Western Europe. Today, the modern synagogue contains a stone, presented by

, of the original synagogue. The actual chamber is under concrete although both the owners of the site and local historians have expressed their regret at it not having a glass floor.

Modern synagogue

In 1979, having borrowed halls for years, land was bought and the community modified the building on the site to build its own synagogue. The Chief Rabbi,

Immanuel Jakobovits Immanuel Jakobovits, Baron Jakobovits (8 February 192131 October 1999) was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1967 to 1991. Prior to this, he had served as Chief Rabbi of Ireland and as rabbi of the Fi ...

, opened and consecrated the synagogue. To mark the occasion when the Chief Rabbi inaugurated the synagogue, a plaque was laid by Theo Rubin who was the President of the community for many years. Chief Rabbi Sir

Jonathan Sacks Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks ( he, יונתן הנרי זקס, translit=Yona'tan Henry Zaks; 8 March 19487 November 2020) was an English Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, and author. Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United ...

visited the synagogue in 2006.

Surrey Multifaith Centre

The

University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its royal charter in 1966, along with a number of other institutions following recommendations in the Robbins Report. The institu ...

announced plans in 2007 to build a multifaith centre on their Stag Hill Campus. The plans include a Jewish Common Room–Synagogue with a

Sukkah A or succah (; he, סוכה ; plural, ' or ''sukkos'' or ''sukkoth'', often translated as "booth") is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is topped with branches and often well decorated ...

and

mikvah Mikveh or mikvah (, ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvoth'', ''mikvot'', or (Yiddish) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. Most forms of ritual impurity can be purif ...

within the centre. The chaplaincy team at the University of Surrey are advocates of the centre which has won the backing of leading religious figures in the UK. The Jewish chaplain

Alexander Goldberg Alexander Barnett Goldberg (born 1974) is the Dean of Religious Life and Belief, Coordinating and the Jewish Chaplain to the University of Surrey, England, a rabbi, barrister, and human rights activist. Biography His family originates from Ire ...

has been an advocate for the centre within the Jewish community and beyond.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Guildford Jewish Community website
an

o
''Jewish Communities and Records – UK''
(hosted by ''jewishgen.org''). 12th-century establishments in England 12th-century synagogues 1979 establishments in England Buildings and structures in Guildford History of Surrey Medieval synagogues in England Orthodox synagogues in England Religion in Surrey

Medieval synagogue

Modern synagogue

Surrey Multifaith Centre

See also

References

External links