the former

New Tredegar Hebrew Congregation

and Jewish Community

New Tredegar, Caerphilly, South Wales

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congregations throughout the British Isles and Gibraltar, both past and present.

Town of New Tredegar

New Tredegar is a small town in the Rhymney Valley in South East Wales, some 6 miles south of the town of Tredegar. It lies about 20 miles north of Cardiff, 8 miles north of Bargoed, some 10 miles south-east of Merthyr Tydfil and 13 miles southwest of Brynmawr.

Until 1974, New Tredegar formed part of the urban district of Gelligaer in the historic county of Glamorgan. From 1974 until 1996, it was part of the district of Rhymney Valley in the new county of Mid Glamorgan. In 1996, Mid Glamorgan was abolished as an administrative county, and the district became part of the county borough of Caerphilly - a unitary authority. (Initially Caerphilly remained split between the ceremonial, or preserved, counties of Mid Glamorgan and Gwent, but in 2003 the entire county borough was placed in the ceremonial county of Gwent.)

The Jewish Community

A Jewish community and congregation existed in New Tredegar in early part of the twentieth century and was was closely connected with the smaller neighbouring community in Bargoed. The was a somewhat larger Jewish community in Tredegar.

Congregation Data
Name:	New Tredegar Hebrew Congregation
Name following merger:	In about 1926 the congregation incorporated the Bargoed Hebrew Congregation and, following such merger, it was known as the New Tredegar and Bargoed Hebrew Congregation.^(iv)
Founded	The congregation was formed in 1903^(v)
Address	Although no address was given for the congregation in Jewish Year Books, there were references in the press to Synagogue Chambers (in 1908/9)^(vi) and later to the congregation holding services at Christadelphian Hall (1924).^(vii)
Closure:	The congregation had become defunct during the 1930s.^(viii)
Ritual:	Ashkenazi Orthodox
Affiliation:	The congregation was an unaffiliated congregation under the aegis of the Chief Rabbi.
Ministers, Readers and Shochets: (To view a short profile - hold the cursor over the name.)	Rev. Eli Bloom - initial shochet in 1903.^(xii) Rev. Samuel Gerstenfeld - minister/reader and shochet from about 1905 until 1913.^(xiii) Rev. S. Olive - minister/reader and shochet from about 1914 until at least 1917.^(xiv) Rev. Samuel Wolfe - minister in and about about 1918.^(xv) Rev. Emil Nemeth - officiated at services in 1924.^(xvi) Rev. Harry Berman - minister from 1927 until 1929.^(xvii)
Lay Officers:	Very limited data is available on the congregation's lay officers and this is somewhat sketchy.
Lay Officers:	M. Love - president from 1903, possibly until at least 1909.^(xx) Mr. Heilpern - president in and about 1913.^(xxi) Isaac Gordon - president and treasurer "for many years".^(xxii) Mr. Bloom - treasurer from about 1903 until about 1905.^(xxiii) S. Kremer - treasurer from about 1905, possibly until at least 1909.^(xxiv) S. Green - financial representative in and about 1924.^(xxvii) S.M. Love - hon. secretary from about 1905, possibly until at least 1909.^(xxviii) Willie Crystal - warden in and about 1924 and hon secretary from at least 1925, possibly until about 1933.^(xxix)
Registration District:	Caerphilly, since 1 April 1996^(xxx) - Link to Register Office website
Cemetery Information:	There is no Jewish cemetery in New Tredegar, the closest being in Brynmawr and at in Merthyr Tydfil.

Online Articles, and Other Material
relating to the New Tredegar Jewish Community

on JCR-UK

Press Reports relating to the New Tredegar Jewish Community, compiled by Harold Pollins.
How 'Greeners' Came to the Valley by Michael Wallach, Jewish Chronicle Colour Magazine, 1975.
Bibliography.

Other New Tredegar Jewish Institutions & Organisations

New Tredegar and District Zionist Society - initially part of the Tredegar and New Tredegar Zionist Society organised in 1903^(xxxiii), becoming a separate society in 1905.^(xxxiv)
New Tredegar Jewish Literary and Debating Society - formed in 1908.^(xxxv)

Jewish Population Data

Click HERE to view Jewish population figures for the whole county borough of Caerphilly from UK Censuses since 2001.

Notes & Sources
(↵ returns to text above)

(i) to (iii) Reserved.
(iv) The Jewish Chronicle of 15 July 1927 makes first reference to the merged congregation and Jewish Year Books from 1927 refer to the New Tredegar congregation as having been joined by the Bargoed congregation. ↵
(v) The Jewish Chronicle report of 20 February 1903 and Jewish Year Book 1903/4. ↵
(vi) For example, The Jewish Chronicle report of 15 May 1908. ↵
(vii) The Jewish Chronicle report of 3 October 1924. ↵
(viii) The congregation was last listed in the Jewish Year Book 1933. ↵
(ix) to (xi) Reserved.
(xii) The Jewish Chronicle report of 20 February 1903. ↵
(xiii) Rev. Gerstenfield is listed as shochet of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1905/6 through 1909 and is the only shochet, reader or minister listed in Jewish Year Books for this congregation. The Jewish Chronicle report of 1 August 1913 reported his resignation. ↵
(xiv) The Jewish Chronicle death notice of 3 February 1928. Rev. S. Olive is referred to as minister of the congregation in a number of Jewish Chronicle reports of 1914, including that of 12 June 1914. ↵
(xv) Rev. S. Wolfe is referred to as minister of the congregation in a number of Jewish Chronicle reports of 1918, and is also described as minister and teacher to the Rhymney Valley District [Jewish Community] in The Jewish Chronicle report of 20 September 1918. ↵
(xvi) The Jewish Chronicle report of 3 October 1924. ↵
(xvii) The Jewish Chronicle of 29 April 1927 reported on the appointment of Rev. H. Berman as minister of the congregation and on 20 September 1929 it reported on his move to Stockton. ↵
(xviii) and (xix) Reserved.
(xx) M. Love was elected president on the formation of the congregation (The Jewish Chronicle report of 20 February 1903) and is listed as president in Jewish Year Books 1903/4 through 1909 and is the only president listed in the year books for the congregation. ↵
(xxi) Mr. Heilpern is referred to as president of the congregation in The Jewish Chronicle report of 1 August 1913. ↵
(xxii) The Jewish Chronicle obituary for I. Gordon of 15 July 1927. ↵
(xxiii) Based upon Mr. Bloom's listing as treasurer of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1903/4 and 1904/5. ↵
(xxiv) Based upon E. Kremer's listing as treasurer of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1905/6 through 1909. Thereafter, the year books do not lists any treasurers of the congregation. ↵
(xxv) and (xxvi) Reserved.
(xxvii) Referred to as financial representative in The Jewish Chronicle of 3 October 1924. ↵
(xxviii) Based upon S.M. Love's listing as hon secretary in Jewish Year Books 1905/6 through 1909. ↵
(xxix) Referred to as warden in The Jewish Chronicle of 3 October 1924. He is also listed as hon. secretary in Jewish Year Books from 1926 through 1934 (after which the congregation was no longer listed in the year books. ↵
(xxx) Previous Registration Districts: Abergavenny from 1 July 1837 to 1 July 1861; Bedwellty from 1 July 1861 to 1 April 1874; and Merthyr Tydfil from 1 April 1874 to 1 April 1996. All registers would now be held by the current office. ↵
(xxxi) and (xxxii) Reserved.
(xxxiii) The Jewish Chronicle of 6 November 1903. ↵
(xxxiv) The Jewish Chronicle of 24 March 1905. ↵
(xxxv) The Jewish Chronicle of 11 December 1908. ↵

Former Jewish Communities in the county borough of Caerphilly home page

Jewish Congregations in the historic county of Glamorganshire

Jewish Congregations in the former administrative county of Gwent

Jewish Congregations in Wales, listed according to current unitary authorities

Jewish Communities & Congregations in Wales home page
(including online articles)

Page created: 13 May 2006
Data significantly expanded and notes added: 9 December 2024
Page most recently amended: 12 December 2024

Research by David Shulman and Harold Pollins
Formatting by David Shulman

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