the former

Wigan Synagogue

& Jewish Community

Wigan, Greater Manchester

JCR-UK is a genealogical and historical website covering all Jewish communities and
congregations throughout the British Isles and Gibraltar, both past and present.

Town of Wigan

Wigan was a county borough in Lancashire, lying to the northwest of Manchester. In 1974, it merged with adjoining areas (all of which had been in Lancashire) to form the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan within the new Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester. Wigan became a unitary authority in 1986, when Greater Manchester lost its administrative status and became purely a ceremonial county.

The Wigan Jewish Community

The principal work on the Wigan Jewish community is Wolkowisk to Wallgate and Other Journeys; A History of the Wigan Jewish Community by Hilary Thomas & Wigan Archives & Local Studies, 2014.⁽ⁱ⁾

Jews had reportedly lived in Wigan from at least the 1830s,⁽ⁱⁱ⁾ although it was not until the 1880s that a formal congregation was organised. However this lasted only a relatively short while and by the early years of the twentieth century, it had become defunct.

Congregation Data
Name:	Wigan Synagogue, also known as the Wigan Hebrew Congregation
Address:	The first synagogue, from 1886, was located in a house at 26 Foy Street (once immediately north of Darlington Street), Wigan.^(v) From 1900, the congregation's synagogue was at 22 Bold Street, Wigan.^(vi)
Formation:	The congregation was founded in 1886.^(vii)
Split in the Community:	In the 1890s, a conflict developed in the Wigan community, due largely to business rivalry, which let to two rival congregations worshipping in different locations.^(viii) Although by November 1900, it appeared that the breach had been healed and the two congregations agreed to unite, holding services in new premises at 22 Bold Street.^(xi) However, the quarrel that caused the rift was apparently never fully resolved and this reportedly was one of the reasons that led to the ultimate demise of the congregation.^(xii)
Closure:	It appears that the synagogue closed in about 1908,^(xiii) although the congregation may have continued to function for a few years thereafter, meeting in private homes.^(xiv)
Ritual:	Ashkenazi Orthodox
Affiliation:	The congregation was an unaffiliated provincial congregation under the aegis of the Chief Rabbi.
Ministers: (To view a short profile of a minister whose name appears in blue - hold the cursor over the name.)	Rev. Myer Berkowitz - minister from 1886 until 1888^(xviii) Rev. M. Pepperman - visiting reader in 1888^(xix) Rev. Moses Eker - minister or visiting minister late 1880s or early 1890s^(xx) Rev. Jacob Lazarus Goldstone - minister from 1900 until about 1903^(xxi) Rev Woolfe Hirshowitz - minister (student) from 1903 until about 1905^(xxii)
Lay Officers:^(xxv)	Presidents at least 1888 to c.1902 - Alfred (Woolf) Kresner^(xxvi) 1903-1904 - Arnold Franks^(xxvii) 1904-c.1905 - Marks Tarshish^(xxviii) from c.1905 - J. Abelson^(xxix) Hon. Secretaries 1898 - Mr. Myers^(xxxii) 1899 - B. Seagull^(xxxiii) 1900 - M. Ashkinazy^(xxxiv) 1901 - Barnet Segal^(xxxv) 1903 - Marks Tarshish ^(xxxvi) 1904-c.1905 - Isaac Niman^(xxxix) from c.1905 - S. Fisher^(xl) 1934-1937 - Barnet Fisher^(xli)	Vice Presidents 1899 - Simon Franks^(xliv) 1900-1903 - Samuel Tarshish^(xlv) c.1904-c.1905 - Simon Franks^(xlvi) from c.1905 - Samuel Tarshish^(xlvii) Treasurers 1888 - Abraham Livingstone^(l) 1899 - Mr. Sydney^(li) 1900 - Arnold Franks^(lii) 1901 - Mr. Ashkinazy^(liii) 1904-c.1905 - Abraham Niman ^(liv) from c.1905 - Frank Adler^(lv)
Membership Data:	General 1902 - 28 Members^(lviii)
Registration District:	Wigan & Leigh, since 1 August 1995^(lix)- Link to Register Office website
Cemetery Information:	There is no record of a Jewish cemetery in Wigan and the congregation presumably used cemeteries elsewhere in the Greater Manchester area. See Cemetery Information on the Greater Manchester Jewish Community home page.

Online Articles and Other Material
relating to the Wigan Jewish Community

on JCR-UK

Notes on the Wigan Jewish Community by Harold Pollins
Ministers of the Wigan Hebrew Congregation and their Journeys by Hilary Thomas, author of Wolkowisk to Wallgate and Other Journeys; A History of the Wigan Jewish Community.
Bibliography

on Third Party Websites

"Wigan's Lost Jewish Heritage" by Richard W Jackson in Past Forward, Wigan Heritage Service, issue 59, 2012, pp.6-7. Issue available online.

Notable Jewish Connections with Wigan

Ivor Abrahams, RA (1935-2015), British sculptor, ceramicist and print maker, was born in Wigan
Michael Marks (c.1859-1907), Russian-born co-founder of Marks and Spencer, lived in Wigan for several years in the early 1890s .

Other Wigan Jewish Institutions & Organisations

Educational

Wigan Hebrew Classes - founded by 1905^(lxii)

Other Institutions

Wigan Dorshei Zion Society - founded by 1900^(lxiii)

Great Yarmouth Jewish Population Data
Year	Number	(Source)
1988	35	(The Jewish Year Book 1989)

Notes & Sources
(↵ returns to text above)

(i) The book, which we refer to here as "Thomas's Wigan History", pieces together the many strands that make up the history of this diverse community. ↵
(ii) Thomas's Wigan History, p.15. ↵
(iii) and (iv) Reserved.
(v) "Wigan's Lost Jewish Heritage" by Richard W Jackson. 26 Foy Street was also the address of Barnet Fisher, a member of the congregation, appearing in th 1901 census. ↵
(vi) Thomas's Wigan History, p.53. This was also the address listed for the congregation from the Jewish Year Book 1902/3. No earlier address was listed. ↵
(vii) Thomas's Wigan History, p.38. The building wasalready empty in 1909 and a workrooms by 1911 (Wigan Trade directies) ↵
(viii) Thomas's Wigan History, pp. 52/3. ↵
(ix) and (x) Reserved.
(xi) Jewish Chronicle reports of 2 November 1900 and 22 November 1901. ↵
(xii) Jewish Chronicle article (relating to Bolton) of 28 June 1935 and Thomas's Wigan History, p. 63. ↵
(xiii) Thomas's Wigan History, p. 63. ↵
(xiv) Jewish Year Books continued to list the congregation, with its address at 22 Bold Street until 1933, which was clearly an error. There were no changes in any data subsequent between 1909 and 1933 and the publishers presumably continued publishing the previous year's information, notwithstanding the fact that the congregation was already defunct. ↵
(xv) to (xvii) Reserved.
(xviii) Also spelled Bercovitz. Thomas's Wigan History, pp. 38/40, Jewish Chronicle report of 30 March 1888 Wigan Observer report of 28 March 1888. ↵
(xix) Jewish Chronicle report of 21 September 1888. ↵
(xx) Actual dates uncertain. Thomas's Wigan History, pp. 46/7, the Jewish Chronicle of 11 September 1896, on reporting Rev. Eker's appointment at Chester, stated that he had served the Wigan congregation. ↵
(xxi) Thomas's Wigan History, pp. 54/5, Rev. Goldstone was the only minister of the congregation to be listed in Jewish Year Books. His was first listed in the 1902/3 edition and continued to be listed until 1933, despite the fact that his successor took office in about 1903 and the synagogue closed in about 1908. ↵
(xxii) Thomas's Wigan History, pp. 55/6, identifies Rev. W. Hirshowitz with the Rev. Woolfe Hirshowitz who later served the Middlesbrough community. However, Jolles's Encyclopaedia of Chazanim is not so certain. ↵
(xxiii) and (xxiv) Reserved.
(xxv) There are no existing synagogue records and, apart from the years 1888 and 1889, there were no press reports naming officers of the congregation from the formation of the congregation in 1886 until 1898. From 1898 to 1905, the information is sketchy and from 1905, the only source is the unreliable Jewish Year Book listings, The press reports (many of which are cited in Thomas's Wigan History) and Jewish Year Book listings (in which the congregation was not listed until the 1901/2 edition) are the only sources for data on the congregation's officers. In most instances these sources provide only an initial and not the officer's full first name. We have therefore added the first names from elsewhere, in particular Thomas's Wigan History. ↵
(xxvi) A. Kresner is first referred to as president in a Jewish Chronicle report of 12 October 1888. Thereafter he is named as president in several press reports, the latest being the report of his reelection as president at the 1901 AGM in the Jewish Chronicle of 11 November 1901. He is subsequently listed as president in Jewish Year Books 1901/2 through 1905/6, though the later years are clearly incorrect. ↵
(xxvii) Full name: Lazarus Arnold Franks. The Wigan Observer of 16 May 1903 referred to him as president during the 1903 visit to Wigan by the Chief Rabbi and he stepped down as president in late 1904 (Jewish Chronicle report of 2 December 1904). He is not listed as president in Jewish Year Books. ↵
(xxviii) Marks Tarshish was elected president in late 1904 (Jewish Chronicle report of 2 December 1904) and is referred to as president in a Jewish Chronicle report of 12 May 1905. He is also listed as president in the Jewish Year Book 1905/6. ↵
(xxix) J. (or I.) Abelson was listed as president from the Jewish Year Book 1906/7. He remained so listed until 1933, but the later dates are clearly unreliable and may have stepped down many years earlier. ↵
(xxx) and (xxxi) Reserved.
(xxxii) Mr. Myers was referred to as secretary in the Jewish Chronicle report of 9 December 1898. ↵
(xxxiii) B. Seagull (probably Barnet Segal) was referred to as secretary in the Jewish Chronicle report of 12 May 1899. ↵
(xxxiv) M. Ashkinazy was elected hon. secretary at the meeting uniting the two rival congregations, reported in the Jewish Chronicle of 2 November 1900. The Jewish Year Books 1901/2 lists A. Ashkenazy as hon. secretary (the first such listing of a secretary of the congregation). This is probably a reference to the M. Ashkinazy. ↵
(xxxv) Mr. Segal was elected hon. secretary at the 1901 AGM, reported in the Jewish Chronicle of 22 November 1901. The Jewish Year Books 1902/3 through 1904/5 list A. Seagull as hon. secretary. This is probably a reference to the Mr. Segal elected at the 1901 AGM. The listing for the later years are unreliable as he had moved to the United States by 1903. ↵
(xxxvi) Marks Tarshish was referred to as secretary during the 1903 visit to Wigan by the Chief Rabbi (Wigan Observer of 16 May 1903). He is not listed as secretary in Jewish Year Books. ↵
(xxxvii) and (xxxviii) Reserved.
(xxxix) I. Niman was elected hon. secretary in late 1904 (Jewish Chronicle report of 2 December 1904) and was listed as hon. secretary in the Jewish Year Book 1905/6. ↵
(xl) S. Fisher was listed as hon. secretary from the Jewish Year Book 1906/7. He remained so listed until 1933, but the later dates are clearly unreliable and may have stepped down many years earlier. ↵
(xli) B. Fisher, with his address, was listed as hon. secretary in Jewish Year Books from 1934 through 1937, the contact details for the remnants of the Jewish community. ↵
(xlii) and (xliii) Reserved.
(xliv) S. Franks was referred to as vice president in the Jewish Chronicle report of 12 May 1899. ↵
(xlv) Full name: Jacob Samuel Tarshish. S. Tarshish was elected vice president at the meeting uniting the two rival congregations, reported in the Jewish Chronicle of 2 November 1900. He is also referred to as vice president during the 1903 visit to Wigan by the Chief Rabbi (Wigan Observer of 16 May 1903). ↵
(xlvi) Full name: Lazarus Arnold Franks. He was listed as vice president in the Jewish Year Book 1905/6 (the first such listing of a vice president of the congregation). ↵
(xlvii) S. Tarshiss (full name Jacob Samuel Tarshish) was listed as vice president from the Jewish Year Book 1906/7. He remained so listed until 1933, but the later dates are clearly unreliable, as he left Wigan in 1911. ↵
(xlviii) and (xlix) Reserved.
(l) A. Livingstone was elected as treasurer in 1888 (Jewish Chronicle report of 12 October 1888). ↵
(li) Mr. Sydney was referred to as treasurer in the Jewish Chronicle report of 12 May 1899. this may, in fact, be referring to the Sytner family who played a significant role in the community at the time. ↵
(lii) A. Franks was elected treasurer at the meeting uniting the two rival congregations, reported in the Jewish Chronicle of 2 November 1900. ↵
(liii) Mr. Ashinazy was elected treasurer at the 1901 AGM, reported in the Jewish Chronicle of 22 November 1901. ↵
(liv) A. Niman was elected treasurer in late 1904 (Jewish Chronicle report of 2 December 1904) and was listed as treasurer in the Jewish Year Book 1905/6. ↵
(lv) F. Adler was listed as treasurer from the Jewish Year Book 1906/7. He remained so listed until 1933, but the later dates are clearly unreliable and may have stepped down many years earlier. ↵
(lvi) and (lvii) Reserved.
(lviii) Jewish Year Book 1902/3. ↵
(lix) Previous Registration District: Wigan - from 1 July 1837 to 1 August 1995. All registers would now be held by the current office. ↵
(lx) and (lxi) Reserved.
(lxii) Referred to in a Jewish Chronicle report of 12 May 1905. ↵
(lxiii) Referred to in a Jewish Chronicle report of 9 June 1900. ↵

Greater Manchester Jewish Community home page

Jewish Communities of England homepage

Page created: 25 March 2006
Data significantly expanded: 25 December 2016
Data further expanded and notes added: 26 May 2024
Page most recently amended: 28 May 2024

Research by David Shulman, assisted by Harold Pollins,
and with acknowledgement to Hilary Thomas
Formatting by David Shulman

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