The western sector of the valleys of south Wales is located in parts of the old county of Glamorganshire that in 1974 became parts of the counties of Mid Glamorgan and West Glamorgan. The Welsh Valley were traditional mining areas and most of the towns of the region were built up in the second half on the nineteenth century when "coal was king". With the decline of the coal industry and the accompanying steel industry, commencing in the 1930's, many of the towns become economically depressed.
From the 1870's, new Jewish communities sprung up across the Valleys, those in the eastern sector being situated in Merthyr Tydfil (discussed separately) and towns now located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, which was created in 1996 from certain districts in Mid Glamorgan. There are now very few Jews left in the region.
The following congregations existed in what is now
Rhondda Cynon Taf:
Jews also settled in a number of other towns and villages in the area, but did not establish an organized congregation. For example, services were held on high holy days in Treorchy at the end of the nineteenth century.
Articles of the Welsh Valleys
How 'Greeners' Came to the Valley' - an article by Michael Wallach, which appeared in the Jewish Chronicle Colour Magazine in 1975 and makes reference to many of the Communities in the Welsh Valley.
For Other Information - see under individual congregation pages
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