Notice to the members of the Cardiff New Synagogue about the importance of supporting the Chevrah Kadishah, October 1952

Description

A notice from Philip Simon, the Honorary Secretary of Cardiff New (later Reform) Synagogue, to the members of the congregation about the importance of supporting the Chevrah Kadishah. The notice asks people to offer their assistance in carrying out the Last Rites. The document is dated October 1952.

The Chevrah Kadishah is a group of Jewish men and women who prepare the bodies of the dead for burial (https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hevra-kaddisha-or-burial-society/).

The Cardiff Reform Synagogue was founded in 1948 as the Cardiff New Synagogue. The following year, it became a constituent member of the Movement for Reform Judaism. Born in reaction against the more restrictive traditions of the Orthodox Judaism of Cardiff Hebrew Congregation, such as the prohibition of driving on the Sabbath and the ban on interfaith marriages, the new Synagogue appealed to the immigrants who had fled the war-torn Europe, where the Reform movement was already well-established. The services were initially held in the Temple of Peace. The congregation now worships in a converted Methodist Chapel on Moira Terrace they acquired in 1952.

Sources:
'The History of the Jewish Diaspora in Wales' by Cai Parry-Jones (http://e.bangor.ac.uk/4987);
JCR-UK/JewishGen (https://www.jewishgen.org/jcr-uk/Community/card1/index.htm).

Depository: Glamorgan Archives.

• https://cardiffReformsynagogue.uk/new/ (link opens in new window)