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JCR-UK is a genealogical and historical website covering all Jewish communities and
congregations throughout the British Isles and Gibraltar, both past and present.
NOTE: We are not the official website for this community.
City of Bristol
Bristol, the major city of the West of England with a population of about
400,000, is situated near the eastern end of the Bristol Channel and has a short
coast line along the southern coast of the channel, facing Wales. Bristol
is unique in having been a city with county status since medieval times (it was
named a county borough when the term was created in 1889), with only a short
break, from 1974 to 1996, when it became a local government district of the
short-lived county of Avon. It regained its independence and county status in
1996, when the county of Avon was abolished and Bristol became a unitary
authority.
The Bristol Jewish Community
There had been a medieval Jewish community in Bristol.
In modern times, Bristol has had a Jewish presence since at least the 1740s.
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Jewish Congregations
The following are the Jewish congregations
and synagogues that existed in Bristol:
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* An active congregation.
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Bristol Jewish Cemeteries Information
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JCR-UK HOSTED DATABASE
Search
Bristol Jewish Cemeteries Database,
including 849 burial records and 640 photographs of the headstones,
and copies of the burial certificates, where available,
as well as a
description of the cemeteries.
(See the Bristol Hebrew Congregation home page for additional databases)
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Basic Cemeteries Information
There was a medieval Jewish Cemetery in Bristol in use from some time after 1177 until 1290.
Bristol's modern Orthodox Jewish cemeteries (included in the above
database) are:
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Barton Road Cemetery, St Phillips, in use from c. 1750, with
the earliest identified tombstone dating from 1762
last burial taking place in 1944.
The Walls surrounding the Cemetery is a Listed Building, Grade II, listed from
4 March 1977 (number 1203679).
Historic England Listing & Description.
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Great Gardens Cemetery, Rose Street, small cemetery in use from
mid-1800s until 1911. In 1924, 27 graves and headstones re-interred
in Ridgeway Cemetery.
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Ridgeway Cemetery, Eastville - first burials date
from 1898 and cemetery still in use today, but mainly for reserved plots.
Many of the burial certificates from this cemetery are included in
the above database.
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Memorial Woodlands Cemetery (Orthodox section), Earthcott Green - new
Jewish cemetery in use since 2000.
Bristol Progressive Jewish Community has burial plots at the following cemeteries:
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South Bristol Cemetery, Bridgwater Road, Bedminster
Down, Bristol.
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Memorial Woodlands Cemetery, Earthcott Green, Alveston, South Gloucestershire.
Records of these cemeteries are
also on the
JOWBR and/or All-UK Database (see below).
(For additional information, see
IAJGS Cemeteries Project - Bristol)
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On-line Articles and Other Material
relating to
the Bristol Jewish Community
on JCR-UK
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"Jewish Tombstone Inscriptions in S.
W. England - Studies in Anglo-Jewish History No. 3", by Rabbi Dr. Bernard Susser, includes an
Introduction that makes reference to Bristol.
Part of the
Susser Archive.
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"Bristol" from The Rise of Provincial Jewry
by Cecil Roth, 1950, covering the period to 1840. Available on JCR-UK as part of the
Susser Archive.
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The Jews of Bristol by Alex Schlesinger (pdf - 1.2mb)
- A summary of the Community's history, as published in a fund-raising brochure the Bristol Hebrew Congregation from the 1970s
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Provincial Jewry in Victorian Britain - papers for
a conference at University College, London, convened by the Jewish Historical Society of England, prepared by Aubrey Newman - 6th July 1975:
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Ladies Benevolent Society - Copies of the Annual Reports of
Bristol Hebrew Ladies Benevolent Society for 1926 to 1941 (except 1927 and 1929).
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Literary and Dramatic Societies - Copies of the programmes for productions by the Bristol
Jewish Literary and Dramatic Societies in 1925, 1934, 1935 and 1936.
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Bristol Jewish Cemeteries, which includes a description of the cemeteries.
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Bristol Medieval Community
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Jewish Listed Heritage Sites in Bristol.
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Bibliography.
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For further articles and a great deal of additional material, see the
JCR-UK webpage for the Bristal Hebrew Congregation
on third party's website
Notable Jewish Connections with Bristol
(courtesy Steven Jaffe)
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Joseph Abraham (d.1867) was the first Jew elected Mayor of Bristol in 1865.
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Alderman Helen Bloom (née Strimer) (d.1987) was the first Jewish Lord Mayor of Bristol, 1971-2
(the position of Lord Mayor being established in 1899). Two of her sisters,
Berta Sacof (d.1989) and Jeanette Britton (d.1991) also served on Bristol city council.
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Dr Selig Brodetsky (1888-1954), mathematician and Zionist leader, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews
and of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was lecturer in applied mathematics at the University of Bristol from 1914 until
about 1920. He was President of the Bristol Hebrew Congregation in 1919.
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Sir Daniel Day-Lewis (b.1957), award-winning actor, attended the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in the 1970s.
In 2010, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Bristol.
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Damien Egan (b.1983), Labour MP for Bristol North East from 2024, is a convert to Reform Judaism.
He was Mayor of Lewisham, Greater London, 2018-24.
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Matt Lucas (b.1974), actor and comedian, studied drama at Bristol University, 1992-95.
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Isaac Rosenberg (1890-1918), poet and artist, was born in Bristol and lived there until he was seven.
A blue plaque at 25 Garamound House, Clarence Road, Bristol marks his nearby birthplace at 5 Adelaide Place (now demolished).
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Michael Stern (b.1942) was Conservative MP for Bristol North West (1983-1997).
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Naomi Tsur (b.1948), Israeli environmentalist and former deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, was born and raised in Bristol.
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Gene Wilder (1933-2016), born Jerome Silberman, was an American actor, comedian, writer and film maker.
He trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre school in the mid 1950s.
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Israel Zangwill (1864-1926), writer and campaigner for a Jewish homeland, spent part of his early childhood in Bristol,
where he attended Redcross Street school.
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John Ziman FRS (1925-2005) who wrote on the philosophy of science and campaigned on the social responsibility of scientists,
was professor of theoretical physics at Bristol University. A blue plaque is located at 20 Eastfield, Westbury-on-Trym,
where he lived from 1964 to 1982. His grandfather,
Dr Anghel Gaster, was brother of the Sephardi religious leader, Hakham Moses Gaster.
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Other Jewish Institutions & Organisations in
Bristol
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General Communal Organisations
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Shechita Board
established in 1927.(xxi)
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Bristol Council of Jewish Women,
founded by 1945.(xxii)
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Council of Christian and Jews, founded by 1948.(xxiii)
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Bristol Jewish Representative Council
(known as the Bristol Jewish Liason Committee until about 1997),
founded by 1984.(xxiv)
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Institutions connected
with the University
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Bristol University Jewish and Israel Society,
(known as the Bristol University Jewish Society until about 1996)
founded by 1951.(xxvii)
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Bristol and Western Region University
Chaplaincy. The chaplaincy couple include:
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Hillel House,
established by 1980.(xxxi)
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Other Educational
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Polack's House, Clifton College.
This was a boarding house (initially called Hamburg
House), founded in 1878, dedicated for Jewish boys,
at Clifton College, a public school
in Bristol.(xxxiv) It existed for some 125 years, complete
with its own synagogue and kosher dining facilities.
Polack's House closed in 2005.(xxxi)
Housemasters of Polack's House
included:
Bernard Heymann (1878-1890);
Rev. Joseph Polack
(after whom the house was named) (1890-1922);
Albert Polack (1922-1948);
Philip Polack (1948-1964); Ernest
Polack (1964-1979);(xxxvi)
and Jo Greenbury (1995-2005).(xxxvii)
Jewish Alumni of Polack's House or other houses
at Clifton College (prepared by Steven Jaffe):
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Leslie Hoare-Belisha, later 1st Baron Hore-Belisha
(1893-1957), British politician and Member of Parliament, initially representing the Liberal Party, then National Liberal Party
and later the Conservative Party. He served as the UK Minister of Transport (1934–1937) and Secretary for War (1937–1940).
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Frederick S. Boas OBE FRSL (1862-1967), leading Shakespearian scholar, son of Herman Boas,
President of the Belfast Hebrew Congregation.
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Nicky Chinn (b.1945) song writer and record producer.
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Sir Trevor Chinn CVO (b.1935) businessman, philanthropist. Appointed President of the Movement for Reform Judaism in 2016.
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David Jacobs, later Baron Jacobs (1931-2014) businessman, created Life Peer in 1997.
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Sir Horace Kadoorie CBE (1902-1995) Hong Kong based industrialist, hotelier and philanthropist, brother of Lawrence, Lord Kadoorie.
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Lawrence Kadoorie, later
Baron Kadoorie CBE (1899-1993), Hong Kong based industrialist, hotelier and philanthropist, brother of Sir Horace Kadoorie.
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Neville Laski QC (1890-1969)
Judge and President of the Board of Deputies (1933-39).
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Elliot Levey (b.1973) Olivier award winning actor.
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Sir Alan Macotta OBE
(1907-1990) Judge, President of the Board of
Elders of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews’
Congregation, London (1967-82).
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Edwin Samuel Montagu
PC
(1879-1924), British politician and Liberal Member of Parliament, who served as Secretary of State for India (1917-1922).
Cabinet member who opposed the Balfour Declaration in 1917.
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Louis Samuel Montagu, later
2nd Baron Swaythling (1869-1927) banker, co-founder of League of British Jews and President of the Federation of Synagogues until 1925.
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Alan Montefiore (1926-2024) academic philosopher.
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Edgar Samuel (1928-2023)
director of the London Jewish Museum (1983-95), and President of the Jewish Historical Society
of England.
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Leonard Wolfson, later Baron Wolfson (1927-2010) chairman of Great Universal Stores and of the Wolfson Foundation and president of the Jewish Welfare Board.
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Sir Bernard Waley-Cohen, Baronet (1914-1991),
City businessman, vice president United
Synagogue and treasurer Jewish Board of
Guardians, Lord Mayor of London (1960-61). Son of Sir Robert Waley Cohen.
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Sir Robert Waley Cohen (1877-1952) industrialist, principally for the Shell Company, president of the United Synagogue. Father of Sir Bernard Waley-Cohen.
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David Wolfson, later Baron Wolfson of Sunningdale (1935-2021) chairman of Great Universal Stores and of Next Plc, Chief of Staff at 10 Downing Street 1979-85.
Following the closure, the Polack's House Educational Trust
makes available scholarships to the Clifton College,
which offers a wide Jewish programme at its Polack
Centre, and includes a synagogue and a social
centre. Commencing 2019 the school appointed its own (non-orthodox) Jewish chaplain,
Rabbi Anna Gerrard
served in such capacity from 2019
until 2023.(xxxviii)
Synagogues at Schools and Orphanages
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Welfare and Friendly Societies
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Bristol Jewish Welfare Society, a
society of the Bristol Hebrew Congregation(xl)
formed on 23 November 1952(xli) upon the merger of:
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Bristol Hebrew Ladies' Benevolent Society, founded
in 1845 for the relieve the poor families resident in Bristol
above one year, pecuniary or otherwise during confinement, sickness, mourning, general distress,
and at the festivals, also for the education and clothing
of children.(xlii)
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Bristol Board of Guardians,
founded 1890 for the relief of the poor.(xliii)
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Jewish Loan Society, founded October 1896.(xliv)
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Jewish Ladies Loan Society, founded by 1903.(xlvii)
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United Jewish Friendly Societies
(formerly Order Achei B'rith and Shield of
Abraham)
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Sir Julian Goldsmid Lodge No. 26,
Bristol, in existence from about 1904
until 1950s.(xlviii)
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Bristol (Ladies) Lodge No. 60,
in existence from about 1918 until 1950s.(xlix)
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Refugee Aid Committee, founded by 1939.(l)
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Joint Committee for the Religious Education and Welfare of Jewish Refugee Children,
formed during Worls War II.(li)
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Social, Literary and Religious Organisations
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Anglo-Jewish Association, branch
initially established on 12 May 1878 by John G. Levy
but defunct by 1880s.(liv)
A Bristol branch was re-established 3 November 1899.(lv)
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Jewish Literary & Social Society
(which until about 1939(lvi)
was known as the Jewish Literary Society,
having in 1915 changed its name from the Jewish Social and Debating Society(lvii)),
was founded in 1894 according to some sources,(lviii)
although in 1893 there was a Bristol Jewish Literary and Debating Society.(lix) (An earlier Bristol Hebrew Literary
and Debating Society had existed
in about 1880/81.(lx))
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Jewish
Social Society, founded by about 1937(lxiii) with
Entertainment, Catering and Juvenile committees.
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Jewish Girls Club,
founded 1902.(lxiv)
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Jewish Working Men's Social Club, founded by 1903.(lxv)
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Chevra Tillim, founded by 1903.(lxvi)
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Jewish Boys' Sabbath Observance Society, founded by 1903.(lxvii)
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Jewish Club and Institute, founded
in 1909.(lxx)
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Jewish Discussion Group, founded by 1932.(lxxi)
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Jewish Dramatic Society, founded by 1932.(lxxii)
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Davar (Jewish Institute in Bristol), founded by 1996, a cultural and
educational organisation to encourage Jewish Identity with the widest
possible spectum.(lxxiii)
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Israel and Zionist
Organisations
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Chovevei Zion founded in 1890, but of short duration.(lxxvi)
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Zionist Society founded by about 1921,(lxxvii) although an earlier Bristol Zionist
Association in existence from January 1900
until about 1905.(lxxviii)
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WIZO, branch founded by 1956.(lxxxi)
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JNF Commission, branch founded by 1927.(lxxxii)
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Bristol Committee for the Jewish Agency, formed by 1930.(lxxxiii)
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Miscellaneous
Organisations
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British Legion (Polack Branch), founded by 1936.(lxxxvi)
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Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and
Women (AJEX), branch founded by 1949.(lxxxvii)
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Bristol Jewish Population Data
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1845
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300 (estimate) |
(Provincial Jewry in Victorian Britain) |
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1903
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850 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1903/4) |
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1908
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200 families |
(The Jewish Year Book 1909) |
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1918
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150 families |
(The Jewish Year Book 1919) |
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1945
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500 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1945/6) |
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1955
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410 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1955) |
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1985
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450 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1996) |
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1990
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375 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1991) |
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2003
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423 |
(The Jewish Year Book 2004) |
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Notes & Sources
(↵ returns to text above) |
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Jewish Communities of England home page
Page created: 21 August 2005
Page significantly expanded and notes added: 2 November 2023
Page most recently amended:
5 June 2025
Research and formatting by David Shulman
Explanation of Terms |
About JCR-UK |
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