Newspaper clipping about the permanent loan of two sifrei Torah from Llanelli to Cambridge, 12 March 1982

Description

This undated newspaper clipping from The Jewish Chronicle reports of the presentation of two sifrei Torah by the Llanelli Hebrew Congregation to the Cambridge Traditional Jewish Congregation as a permanent loan.

The article notes that Llanelli once hosted a vibrant Jewish community but is now home to only a few Jewish families and the synagogue is no longer able to maintain regular services.

Members of the Llanelli Hebrew Congregation initially held services for the High Holy Days in the early 1900s at private residences. A purpose-built synagogue was established in 1909 on Queen Victoria Street. Through the 1920s, the community had around 300 members, but the number fell rapidly in the 1930s and never recovered. When the congregation merged with Swansea Hebrew Congregation in the 1980s, membership was down to 20.

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/llanelli/index.htm & https://www.jewishgen.org/jcr-uk/community/llanelli/press_reports_llanelli_4.htm).

Depository: Carmarthenshire Archives.

• http://www.thejc.com (link opens in new window)