The Severn Street Synagogue is a former Orthodox

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located at 60 Severn Street,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, West Midlands,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, in the United Kingdom. The congregation was founded in 1809 and worshiped in the

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

rite Rite may refer to: Religion * Ritual, an established ceremonious act * Rite (Christianity), sacred rituals in the Christian religion * Ritual family, Christian liturgical traditions; often also called ''liturgical rites'' * Catholic particular ch ...

until the congregation was merged into the Singers Hill Synagogue congregation in 1856. The former synagogue building was completed in 1813 and was used until the Singers Hill Synagogue building was completed. The Severn Street property was sold to the Freemasons in 1856 and subsequently used as the Athol Masonic Hall. The building was listed as a Grade II building in 2006.

History

The first recorded Jewish congregation in Birmingham dates from when a synagogue was established in an area then known as ''The Froggery''. A replacement synagogue was built in Hurst Street in 1791. The Severn Street congregation was newly carved out of the former Gooch Estate when the new congregation was founded in 1809. The synagogue building was completed in 1813, and that year was badly damaged in a riot directed at non-

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

s that also severely damaged the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

Church in Belmont Row, Quaker Meetinghouse near Lady Well, and the

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

Chapel in Bond Street. During 1825 to 1827, the synagogue was rebuilt by architect Richard Tutin in the Greek Revival style. The Torah Ark was retained by the Freemasons with only slight modifications. Its handsome, fluted Doric columns and classical entablature remain. The Master's Chair is placed in the former Torah Ark niche. The adjacent banqueting hall, decorated with Stars of David, was added for the Freemasons by architect Henry Naden in 1871–2. Following completion of the Singers Hill Synagogue, the building was purchased by the local Freemasons in 1856.

References

1809 establishments in England 1856 disestablishments in England 19th-century synagogues in the United Kingdom Ashkenazi Jewish culture in England Ashkenazi synagogues in the United Kingdom Former Orthodox synagogues in England Grade II listed buildings in Birmingham Grade II listed religious buildings and structures Greek Revival architecture in the United Kingdom Greek Revival synagogues Jewish organizations established in 1809 Masonic buildings completed in 1856 Masonic buildings in the United Kingdom Religious buildings and structures in Birmingham, West Midlands Synagogues completed in 1813 Synagogues completed in 1827 {{UK-synagogue-stub

History

See also

References