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 Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay
(in Welsh: Bae Colwyn) is a seaside resort, with a population of
about 29,000, on the coast of North Wales, about 50 miles west of
Liverpool and 5 miles south-east of Llandudno.
Until 1974, Colwyn Bay formed the
municipal borough of Colwyn Bay in the county of Denbighshire.
From 1974 until 1996, it was part of the district of Colwyn in the then
newly-formed county of Clwyd. In 1996, Clwyd was abolished as an administrative
county and the district of Colwyn
was merged into the new county borough of Conwy, a unitary authority (within the
ceremonial, or preserved, county of Clwyd).
The Colwyn Bay Jewish Community
The small Jewish community in Colwyn Bay was closely associated with
that in Llandudno, some six miles away. A separate congregation was
first organised in Colwyn Bay in the early 1940s, presumably by the
influx of war-time evacuees from heavily populated cities. However,
numbers began to dwindle and for some years before the synagogue
closed in the 1970s, some religious services alternated between the
Colwyn Bay synagogue and that in Llandudno.(i)
The synagogue in
Llandudno, renamed the Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Hebrew Congregation,
now serves both towns.
Congregation Data |
Name: |
Colwyn Bay Hebrew Congregation |
Address: |
Zion House, Princes Drive, Colwyn Bay.(ii)
The synagogue, which also included classrooms and a social centre,
was consecrated in January 1943 at a service conducted by Rev. I. Bornstein of the Princes Road
Synagogue in Liverpool,
assisted by Rev. I. Daviat of Liverpool and Rev. D. Wolfson, chazan of the congregation.
Rabbi Dr A Altmann, communal Rabbi of Manchester, Salford and District
Synagogue spoke. The services for the previous High Holy days had been held at the
Presbyterian church, Colwyn Bay.(iii) |
Date Founded: |
1940.(iv)
|
Current Status: |
Closed, about 1977.(v)
Remaining members generally
joined the synagogue in Llandudno, which was subsequently renamed the
Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Hebrew
Congregation.(vi) |
Ritual: |
Orthodox - Ashkenazi |
Ministers: (To view a short profile of a minister
whose name appears in blue - hold the cursor over his name.) |
Rev. David Wolfson
- from 1942 until about 1946(viii)
Rev. Louis Kushell
- from about 1948 until 1967(ix) |
Lay Officers: |
Unless otherwise stated, the data below has been extracted from
Jewish Year Books.(x) |
Presidents
at least 1943 to 1948 - H. Hyamson(xi)(xii)
1948 to at least 1956 - J. Barker
Treasurers
at least 1945 to 1948 - H. Marks(xi) 1948 to 1954 - B. Sheridan
1954 to at least 1956 - H. Falks
|
Vice President
at least 1945 to 1948 - J. Barker(xi) Warden
at least 1945 to 1948 - S. Cohen(xi) Hon. Secretaries
to 1942 - J. Mass(xii) 1942 to at
least 1945 - Rev. David Wofson(xi)(xiii)
1948 to 1958 - Sidney Hart
1958 to 1960 - H. Falks
1960 to 1977 - N.I. Barker |
Cemetery Information: |
There were no Jewish cemeteries in north
Wales, the closest being in Liverpool and
Manchester. However, in 2010, a Jewish cemetery (along Liberal lines)
was established in Llanrhos,
Llandudno. |
Notes &
Sources (↵
returns to text above)
|
On-line Articles and Other Material relating to the
Colwyn Bay Jewish Community
on JCR-UK
|
Congregational &
Marriage Records
|
Registration District (BDM):
|
-
Conwy
-
Previous registration districts:
-
Conway - 1 July 1837 to
1 October 1935.
-
Aled - 1 October 1935 to
1 April 1974.
-
Colwyn - 1 April 1974
to at least 1966.
-
Any registers would now be held by
the current register office.
-
Link to Register Office website
|
Colwyn Bay Jewish Population Data
(numbers from 1984 include Colwyn
Bay)
|
Year |
Number |
Source |
1950 |
24 |
Jewish Year Book 1951 |
Jewish Communities (Past & Present) in the county borough of Conwy
Jewish Congregations in the historic county of Denbighshire
Jewish Congregations in the former county of Clwyd
Jewish Congregations in Wales, listed according to current unitary authorities
Jewish Communities & Congregations in Wales home page
Page created: 20 October 2005
Data significantly expanded and notes first added: 20 November 2020
Page most recently amended 1
September 2024
Formatting by David Shulman
Explanation of Terms |
About JCR-UK |
JCR-UK home page
Contact JCR-UK Webmaster:
jcr-ukwebmaster@jgsgb.org.uk
(Note: This is to contact JCR-UK, not the above Community or Congregation)
Terms and Conditions, Licenses and Restrictions for the use of this website:
This website is
owned by JewishGen and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. All
material found herein is owned by or licensed to us. You may view, download, and
print material from this site only for your own personal use. You may not post
material from this site on another website without our consent. You may not
transmit or distribute material from this website to others. You may not use
this website or information found at this site for any commercial purpose.
Copyright © 2002 - 2024 JCR-UK. All Rights Reserved