Telegram from Mr Pinnick to the Hebrew Class of Queen's Hill Synagogue, Newport, 6 May 1962

Description

Telegram from Mr Pinnick to the Hebrew Class of the Queen's Hill Synagogue, Newport, 6 May 1962. The telegram wishes the class "heartiest mazeltov on success in quiz", referring to the International Bible Quiz entered by a group of children from the Newport Mon Hebrew Congregation Cheder. The members of the Newport team were Annette Littlestone, Michael Nathan, Vivienne Jacobs and Maxwell Caller. They reached the final of the British part of the competition and then came third in the international final, which was held on 20 May 1962 at an Amsterdam synagogue.

Newport Monmouthshire Hebrew Congregation was founded in 1859 by orthodox Jews meeting at a temporary synagogue in Llanarth Street. A synagogue at Francis Street was opened in 1869 and consecrated by the Chief Rabbi Dr Herman Adler in 1871. In 1934 the congregation moved to the Nathan Harris Memorial Hall in Queen's Hill which was converted to a synagogue. In 1997 this synagogue was closed, and the congregation moved to the Prayer House by the Jewish Burial Ground on Risca Road. Within 20 years the congregation had dwindled to a few members able to attend and this too had ceased to hold services.

Sources:
"History of our Shul. The First Hundred Years", published by Newport Congregation in 1959;
Oral history interviews with members of the Newport Mon Hebrew;
CAJEX, 12, 2 (1962), 53.

Depository: Gwent Archives.