Palmers Green and Southgate Synagogue

Palmers Green, London N11

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Palmers Green & Southgate Synagogue
Brownlow Road, London N11

Congregation Data

Name:

Palmers Green and Southgate Synagogue⁽ⁱⁱ⁾

Former Names:

Palmers Green Synagogue (until about 1934)⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾

Palmers Green Hebrew Congregation (in about 1934)^(iv)

Palmers Green & Southgate Hebrew Congregation (in about 1935)^(v)

Palmers Green & Southgate District Synagogue (from 1935 to 1976)^(vi)

Address:

143 Brownlow Road, Palmers Green, London N11 2BN.^(viii)

The synagogue site (comprising a house with a large garden), near the junction with Bowes Road, was purchased in 1935 for £1,900 (with estimated building costs of £2,550) and the foundation stone for the synagogue was laid by Mr. (later Sir) Isaac Wolfson on 5 January 1936.^(ix) The synagogue was consecrated by the Chief Rabbi Joseph Hertz on the 10 May 1936.^(x)

On the 13 December 1944, the building was almost totally destroyed in a German air-raid^(xi) and services were in temporary premises initially at Sydney Hall, Palmerston Road, Wood Green, London N22^(xii) and then at 192 Hampden Way, London N.14.^(xiii) However, plans were put in hand immediately to rebuild the synagogue and this was completed in 1947.^(xiv) Further reconstruction took place in 1954 and the building was extended in 1977.^(xv)

Earlier Addresses:

Prior to the move to Brownlow Road, the service was held in members' homes and hired halls.^(xvii)

In particular, the house of Rev. Lewin in Melbourne Avenue, Southgate (and later at 51 Palmerston Road, Wood Green), was used for Sabbath services, and Lacey Hall, Hazelwood Lane, Palmers Green, was the regular venue for High Holy Day services.^(xviii)

Date Formed:

The first services took place in 1927, at the initiative of Morris Michaels, Mr. Morowitz and M. Hartsilver.^(xix)

Current Status:

Active

Ritual:

Ashkenazi Orthodox

Affiliation:

Joined the United Synagogue as an affiliated synagogue in 1934, becoming a district synagogue on 1 December 1935.^(xx) In about 1976, it became a constituent synagogue, when the district synagogue category was discontinued.^(xxi)

The congregation was previously affiliated to the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations (UOHC) from at least 1928.^(xxii)

Website:

https://www.pgss.org.uk

Ministers:
(To view a short profile of a minister or cantor - hold the cursor over his name.)

Rev. A.I. Lewin - pre-1936, unofficial minister serving outlying London communities.^(xxvi)

Rev. Isaac Chaitowitz (later Rabbi Isaac Chait) - minister from 1936 until 1951 (with leave of absence from 1941 to 1946).^(xxvii)

Rev. Felix Falk Carlebach - temporary minister from 1941 until about 1946.^(xxviii)

Rabbi Joseph Shaw - minister from 1952 until 1987.^(xxix)

Rabbi Emmanuel Levy - minister from 1988 until present (June 2025).^(xxx)

Cantors (Chazanim) / Readers and Others:

Rev. Orland Zicherman - reader from at least 1945 until about 1948^(xxxiv)

Rev. Leo Domowitz - reader from 1948 until 1973^(xxxv)

Rev. Irving Chazen - headmaster of Hebrew Classes in early 1950s^(xxxvi)

Rev. Richard Rosten - reader in about 1972^(xxxvii)

Rev Michael A. Binstock, MBE - reader from 1973 until about 1981^(xl)

Rev. Brian Segal - reader from 1984 until 2006^(xli)

Others who are known to have officiated at services of the congregation, include Rev. Alex Granat, Rev. Steven Sands, Rev. Dov Samuel Speier, and Rabbi Yigal Wachmann, although exact dates are not available.^(xlii)

Lay Officers:

Unless otherwise stated, all data on lay officers has been extracted from listings in Jewish Year Books (first published 1896/7).^(xlv)

Wardens

1935-1936 - M. Hartsilver & A. Greenberg

1936-1938 - J. Napper & A. Rosenberg

1938-1940 - J. Napper & Dr. M. Fisher

1940-1945 - no data

1945-1946 - W. Pyzer & Morris Michaels

1946-1948 - A. Kenner & D. Rosenberg

1948-1954 - A. Kenner & W. Pyzer

1954-1956 - D. Barnes & W. Pyzer

from 1956 - no data

Treasurers

1927 - Mr. Morowitz^(xlvi)

1934-1935 - S. Steinberg

1935-1936 - Dr. M. Fisher

Financial Representatives

1936-1955 - A. Manders

1955-1956 - A. Beharier

from 1956 - no data

Chairmen

1927 - H. Lewis^(xlvi)

1934-1935 - A. Greenberg

Hon. Life President

from 1936 - M. Hartsilver

Hon. Life Vice President

from 1936 - A. Greenberg

Secretaries & Hon Secretaries

1934-1938 - P.A. Phillips

1938-1940 - P. Hershman

1940-1945 - no data

1945-1946 - P. Hershman

1947-1982 - R.S. Hyland

1982-2007 - M. Lewis

Membership Data:

United Synagogue (male seat-holders)^(xlvii)

1934

1940

1950

1960

1970

63

146

454

648

663

Other Sources (members)^(xlviii)

1936

1939

1946

140 male & 7 female

200 male & 9 female

335 male and 25 female

National Reports & Surveys^(xlix)

1977 - 602 male (or household) members and 157 female members

1983 - 555 male (or household) members and 210 female members

1990 - 687 members (comprising 657 households, 17 individual male and 13 individual female members)

1996 - 568 members (comprising 534 households, 19 individual male and 15 individual female members)

2010 - listed as having 300 to 399 members (by household)

2016 - listed as having 200 to 299 members (by household)

Charitable Status:

As a constituent of the United Synagogue, the congregation operates within that organisation's registered charity status (registered charity no. 242552).

Local Government Districts:

The North London suburbs of Palmers Green and Southgate are in the southwest of the London Borough of Enfield^(li) (created on 1 April 1965), within the administrative area of Greater London.

Previously, both suburbs were in the former Municipal Borough of Southgate (incorporated as a borough in 1933, previously the Urban District of Southgate from 1894) in the former County of Middlesex, which entities were abolished in 1965.

Registration District (BMD):

Enfield from 1 April 1965^(lii) - Link to Register Office website

Worship Registration:

The synagogue in Brownlow Road is registered as a Place of Worship - Worship Register Number 56649 - under the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855.^(liii)

Cemetery
Information:

For United Synagogue cemeteries, see Cemeteries of the United Synagogue.

Online Articles, Bibliography and Other Material
relating to this Congregation

on JCR-UK

London Borough of Enfield bibliography, including:
- Palmers Green and Southgate Synagogue. Golden Jubilee 1927/1977, by Alan Grant, Southgate 1977;
- "Sixty Years On: The Story of the Palmers Green and Southgate Synagogue" by Alan Grant, Heritage No 3, Jewish Research Group of the Edmonton Hundred Historical Society, 1988 pp. 46-64.

on Third Party Websites

History on the congregation's website.

Notable Local Jewish Residents
or Members of this Congregation
or Other Jewish Connections to the Locality

Palmers Green:
- Irving Finkel (b.1951), Assyriologist and Assistant Keeper at the British Museum, grew up in Palmers Green and attended Minchenden Grammar School.
- Moshe Galili (1930-2017), born in Hungary, Holocaust survivor, painter and stain glass artist, lived in Palmers Green from 1962.
- Christian David Ginsburg (1831-1914), born in Warsaw, converted to Christianity, leading Hebrew scholar in England, died in Palmers Green and is buried in Southgate cemetery.
Southgate:
- Lynne Franks OBE (b.1948), communications strategist and writer, considered the instigator of London Fashion Week, campaigner for women's rights, grew up in Southgate and attended Minchenden Grammar school.
- Rev. Willliam Henry Hechler (1845-1931), non-Jewish Anglican clergyman, associate of Theodor Herzl in the early Zionist movement, is buried at New Southgate cemetery. In 2011 a stone was unveiled at his previously unmarked grave by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation.
- Peter Kellner CBE (b.1946), journalist, TV reporter and political commentator, former president off YouGov, had part of his schooling at Minchenden Grammar school in Southgate.
- Warren Mitchell, born Warren Misell (1926-2015), actor, attended Southgate County school (which later became Minchenden Grammar school) from 1937 to 1943.
- Ron Moody, born Ronald Moodnick (1924-2015), actor, attended Southgate County school (which later became Minchenden Grammar school).
- Lord Puttnam (David Puttnam) CBE (b.1941) in Southgate,film producer, environmentalist and former member of the House of Lords, chancellor off the Open University (2007-14) and University of Sunderland (1997-2007) attended Minchenden Grammar school in Southgate. His mother was Jewish.
- Rob Rinder MBE (b.1978), barrister and TV personality, was brought up in Southgate.
- Rachel Stevens (b.1978), pop star, businesswoman, model and actress, member of the pop group S Club, was born in Southgate and attended Ashmole school in Southgate.
- Amy Winehouse (1983-2011), singer songwriter and musician, grew up in Southgate and attended Ashmole school in Southgate.
Mayors of the former Borough of Southgate or the London Borough of Enfield:
- Alderman Ruth Winston Fox, mayor of the Borough of Southgate, 1958-59. She was the mother of Lord Robert Winston.
- Councillor Harry A. Farbey, mayor of the Borough of Southgate, 1964-65.
- Councillor Geoffrey Leigh, mayor of the London Borough of Enfield, 1980-81.

Other Organisations & Institutions
connected to this congregation

Educational

Hebrew & Religious Classes - founded in 1927, with 37 boys and 7 girls.^(lx)

Other Institutions

Ladies Guild - active by 1835.^(lxi)
Refugee Aid Committee - founded by 1938.^(lxii)
Social Committee - founded by 1947^(lxiii)
Youth Club - founded in 1957. Played an important part in the founding of the SPEC Club.^(lxiv)

Notes & Sources
(↵ returns to text above)

(i) Reserved.
(ii) Although this appears to be the official name of the congregation, since it became an constituent synagogue of the United Synagogue in about 1976 (and the listed name in Jewish Year Books from 1977), it is also sometimes referred to as Palmers Green and Southgate United Synagogue. ↵
(iii) The congregation appeared under this name in Jewish Year Books from 1929 through 1934, when it was listed as affiliated to the UOHC. ↵
(iv) The congregation appeared under this name in the Jewish Year Books 1935 when first listed as affiliated to the United Synagogue. ↵
(v) The congregation appeared under this name in the Jewish Year Books 1936 when listed as affiliated to the United Synagogue, immediately prior to becoming a district synagogue. ↵
(vi) This was the name under which the congregation was listed in Jewish Year Books 1937 through 1976. ↵
(vii) Reserved.
(vii) Although the congregation's address is generally given without reference to a street number, it was listed with this street number in Jewish Year Books 1936 through 1940 and the street number was also stated on p.51 on the article "Sixty Years On - The Story of the Palmers Green and Southgate Synagogue" by Alan Grant which appeared in Heritage No 3, an historical series by the Jewish Reseach Group of the Edmonton Hundred Historical Society ("Heritage No 3"). ↵
(ix) Heritage No 3 pp.51/2. However this article states (p.52) that the foundation stone was laid on "5 January 1935". Although this date could be correct, it appears more likely a typographical error for 5 January 1936 ↵
(x) History on the congregation's website and Heritage No 3, p.52. ↵
(xi) History on the congregation's website and the Jewish Year Book 1945/6. ↵
(xii) Jewish Year Book 1945/6 and Heritage No 3, p.58. ↵
(xiii) History on the congregation's website and the Jewish Year Book 1947. ↵
(xiv) History on the congregation's website and Heritage No 3, p.59. Brownlow Road was already relisted as the congregation's address the Jewish Year Book 1948. ↵
(xv) History on the congregation's website and Heritage No 3, p.52. ↵
(xvi)
(xvii) Although 67 Natal Road, New Southgate, was listed as the congregation's address in Jewish Year Books 1929 through 1934, although this was merely the address of the congregation's then hon. secretary, P.A Phillips (Heritage No 3, p.48). ↵
(xviii) Heritage No 3, pp.48 and 51. ↵
(xix) Although the History on the congregation's website refers to the early days of the congregation as circa 1926, it appera that the first services were organised in 1927, as enumerated in Heritage No 3, pp.47/8. The congregation was not listed in Jewish Year Books until 1929 ↵
(xx) The United Synagogue 1870-1970 by Aubrey Newman (1977), pages 221/2 and Heritage No 3, pp.49 and 52. ↵
(xxi) The congregation was first listed as a constituent synagogue in the Jewish Year Book 1977. ↵
(xxii) The congregation was listed as affiliated to the UOHC in Jewish Year Books 1929 through 1934. ↵
(xxiii) to (xxv)
(xxvi) The History on the congregation's website states that the congregation met "in the early days (circa 1926) ..... under the guidance of Rev. A.L. Lewin, an unofficial Minister to the then outlying suburban communities." ↵
(xxvii) Heritage No 3, p.53 refers to Rev. Chaitowitz's appointment in 1936. The earliest Jewish Chronicle report of his ministry is also in 1936. His leave of absence from 1941 to 1946 to serve as chaplain to the armed forces, is discussed on Heritage No 3, p.56. The Jewish Chronicle of 6 July 1951 reported that "[a] reception was held for Rabbi Chait minister of the Palmers Green and Southgate synagogue for the past 15 years...who has accepted a call to become minister of the Wilson street synagogue in Sheffield." He is listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1936 through 1951. ↵
(xxviii) Jewish Chronicle obituary of 1 February 2008 and Heritage No 3, p.56. Rev. Carlebach was listed as temporary minister of the congregation in the Jewish Year Book 1945/6, serving while Rabbi Chait was acting as chaplain to the Armed Forces. ↵
(xxix) Jewish Chronicle of 14 March 1952 reported that Rev Shaw had been inducted as new minister of the congregation and on 7 August 1987 it reported that "Rabbi Joseph Shaw has retired as minister of the Palmers Green and Southgate Synagogue after 35 years serving the community". He was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1953 through 1987. ↵
(xxx) Congregation's website, last accessed June 2025. ↵
(xxxi) to (xxxiii) Reserved.
(xxxiv) Based upon Rev. Zicherman's listing as temporary reader in Jewish Year Books 1945/6 and 1947 and as reader in the 1948 edition. However, some sources (including Jolles) state that he continued to serve the congregation until 1956. ↵
(xxxv) Jewish Chronicle obituary dated 11 October 1996. Rev. Z. Domowitz is listed as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1949 through 1973. ↵
(xxxvo) Jewish Chronicle obituary of 21 February 1975. ↵
(xxxvii) Jolles's Encyclopaedia of Chazanim, etc. ↵
(xxxviii) and (xxxix) Reserved.
(xl) Jewish Chronicle 9 November 1973 reported that Rev M. A. Binstock has been appointed full-time reader at Palmers Green. He is listed as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1976 through 1981 ↵
(xli) Jewish Chronicle of 21 December 1984 report of induction service of Rev. Segal and on 8 December 2006 it reported on an emergency meeting at which the Board of Management of the congregation resigned -"The saga began after chairman Daniel Anderson, elected in May, began a programme of change in an effort to attract new members and modernise services. As a result, chazzan Brian Segal resigned on the eve of Rosh Hashanah". He is listed as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1985 through 2007 ↵
(xlii) Jolles's Encyclopaedia of Chazanim, etc. ↵
(xliii) and (xliv) Reserved.
(xlv) Where a person is first listed in a year book as holding a particular office, it has been assumed that his term of office commenced in the year of publication of the relevant year book (which was generally towards the end of the year prior to year appearing the the title of the year book) and that he continued in office until the commencement of office of his successor, unless the office was vacant (e.g. if he is listed in Jewish Year Books 1935 through 1938, it is assumed that he commenced office in 1934 and continued in office until 1938). However, it should be noted that this is only an assumption and accordingly his actual years of office may differ slightly from those shown here. Jewish Year Books were not published during WWII subsequent to 1940. There were no Jewish Year Book listings of officers (other than secretary) subsequent to 1956. ↵
(xlvi) Elected at the first meeting of the congregation, which took place in a hall in Green Lanes, next to a Methodist chapel (Heritage No 3, p.48). ↵
(xlvii) The United Synagogue 1870-1970 by Aubrey Newman (1977), pages 218/9. ↵
(xlviii) Heritage No 3, pp.53 and 55. The female figures represent members in their own right only. ↵
(xlix) Reports on synagogue membership in the United Kingdom, published by or on behalf of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and which can be viewed on the website of the Institute of Jewish Policy Research. Click HERE for links to the various reports. ↵
(l) Reserved.
(li) The London Borough of Enfield, an Outer London Borough within the Greater London administrative area, was created on 1 April 1965 upon the merger of the Municipal Boroughs of Enfield, Edmonton and Southgate. All three municipal boroughs had been within the former County of Middlesex. ↵
(lii) The former Registration Districts were Edmonton, from 1 July 1837 until 1 October 1947, and Wood Green, from 1 October 1947 until 1 April 1965. All registers would now be held by the current register office. ↵
(liii) Page 509 of the 2010 List of Places of Worship ↵
(liv) to (lix) Reserved.
(lx) Heritage No 3, p.53. ↵
(lxi) Heritage No 3, p.60. It was first listed in the Jewish Yaer Book 1937. ↵
(lxii) First listed in the Jewish Year Book 1939. ↵
(lxiii) First listed in the Jewish Year Book 1948. ↵
(lxiv) Heritage No 3, p.60. ↵

List of United Synagogue Congregations

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Jewish Congregations in the London Borough of Enfield

Jewish Congregations in Greater London

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Page created: 7 September 2003
Data significantly expanded and notes first added: 11 June 2025
Page most recently amended: 18 July 2025

Research by David Shulman, assisted by Steven Jolles (rabbinic profiles and notables)
Formatting by David Shulman

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