Photographs of the building on the site of the old synagogue, Seymour Street, Aberdare, 2005-2015

Description

These two photocopies of undated photographs show the old synagogue on Seymour Street in Aberdare. The doorway and windows have been modernised and the building has reverted to a private residence. The image was taken some time before 30 January 2015, when a blue commemoration plaque was installed, marking the site of the synagogue in Aberdare.

Dating the images: The Citroen C5 parked in front of the building appears to be a 2005 model; we therefore assume that the photographs were taken between 2005 and 2015.

The Jewish community in Aberdare dates back to the 1860s. At first, the Aberdare Hebrew Congregation rented a terraced house on Seymour Street, which they subsequently acquired and converted into a regular place of worship. The first floor of the building was consecrated as synagogue in the late 1880s. From the 1910s to the 1930s, the congregation was at its largest with around ninety members. When the synagogue closed in 1957, the number was down to 35. The building, again a private residence, received a blue commemorative plaque in 2015.

Source:
'The History of the Jewish Diaspora in Wales' by Cai Parry-Jones (http://e.bangor.ac.uk/4987).

Depository: Glamorgan Archives.