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Chatham Memorial SynagogueRochester, Medway, Kent |
Created 25 July 2003
Last updated 18 August 2009
Chatham and the Borough of Medway
The Kentish towns of Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and one or two other small towns near the Thames estuary in southeast England, form a single conurbation, and are known as the Medway Towns, named after the river Medway on, or close to which, the towns are situated. In 1974, the local government district of Medway was formed, within the county of Kent, by the merger of the municipal boroughs of Rochester (which then had City status) and Chatham, together with adjoining areas. In 1982, the district was renamed the City of Rochester-upon-Medway. In 1998, it was enlarged by the incorporation of the adjacent district of Gillingham, was renamed the Borough of Medway and become a unitary authority.
Jewish Community
The has been a Jewish community in the Chatham and Rochester for nearly 300 years, and prior thereto, there had been a medieval Jewish community in Rochester. The community's synagogue, although called the Chatham Memorial Synagogue, is actually situated in Rochester.
Congregation Data
| Name: | Chatham Memorial Synagogue |
| Predecessor Synagogue: | Cottage Jews' Tabernacle Synagogue |
| Address: | 366 High Street, Rochester (erected 1869, in memory of Captain Lazarus Simon Magnus, on site of previous synagogue) |
| Date Founded: | 1740 |
| Current Status: | Active |
| Ritual: | Ashkenazi Orthodox |
| Marriage Certification: | Group for Certification: Board of Deputies Appears in 1998 General Registrar Official List Worship Number: 30747 Registration District: Chatham |
| Membership Numbers: | Until 1900 - see Paper by Aubrey Newman 1905 - 10 seatholders (The Jewish Year Book 1906) 1999 - 38 (Board of Deputies) |
| Website: | http://www.chathamshul.org.uk |
Articles on the Chatham Community
Chatham from "Provincial Jewry in Victorian Britain" - Papers for a conference at University College, London, convened by the Jewish Historical Society of Great Britain, prepared by Aubrey Newman - 6th July 1975. Reproduced here with his kind consent.
The Rise of Provincial Jewry - Chatham by Cecil Roth, 1950. Available on JCR-UK as part of the Susser Archive.
A Brief History of Chatham Memorial Synagogue, reproduced from the Community's website.
Chatham Cemetery, by Martyn Webster, includes an introductory article to the Chatham Cemetery database (above).
Jewish Population Data
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to 1900 1905 1909 1915 1934 1945 1955 1965 2004 |
- see Paper by Aubrey Newman - 103 (The Jewish Year Book 1906) - 111 (The Jewish Year Book 1910) - 100 (The Jewish Year Book 1916) - 100 (The Jewish Year Book 1935) - 60 (The Jewish Year Book 1946) - 120 (The Jewish Year Book 1956) - 150 (The Jewish Year Book 1966) - 50 (The Jewish Year Book 2005) |
Other Chatham & Rochester Information
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