the former

Dalry Hebrew Congregation

Edinburgh, Scotland

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Congregation Data
Name:	Dalry Synagogue or Dalry Hebrew Congregation⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾ (known as the "Blecheneh Shul"^(iv)) also known as the Caledonian Crescent Congregation^(v)
Addresses:	35 Caledonian Crescent, Dalry Road, Dalry, Edinburgh, in the west of the city.^(viii)
Formation:	The congregation was formed in 1879^(ix) by Jews from Manchester who had come to work as waterproofers (shmeerers) at the Caledonian Rubber Company in Edinburgh.^(x)
Closure:	The congregation closed in about 1915.^(xi)
Ritual:	Ashkenazi Orthodox
Affiliation:	The congregation operated, at least at some stage, as a branch of the Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation.^(xii)
Readers and Shochets: To view a short profile of a reader whose name appears in blue - hold the cursor over his name.	Rev. I.L. Levine - shochet from at least 1895 until about 1904.^(xv) Rev. Hermann Abrahams - reader in and after 1906.^(xvi) Rev. Samuel Arkush - reader from 1908 until about 1909.^(xvii) Rev. S. Berman - reader from about 1909 until about 1911.^(xviii) Rev. M. Chazan - reader from about 1911 until about 1913.^(xix)
Lay Officers:	All data on lay officers has been extracted from listings in Jewish Year Book.^(xxii)
	Presidents 1896-1898 - P. Phin 1898-1902 - L. Radin 1902-1905 - L. Adelson 1905-1908 - no data 1908-1915 - A.E. Cohen from 1915 - no data	Treasurers 1896-1898 - A. Levenson 1898-1902 - P. Phin 1902-1905 - J. Bennet 1905-1908 - no data 1908-1915 - I. Factor from 1915 - no data	Hon. Secretaries 1896-1901 - J. Phillips 1901-1902 - no data 1902-1905 - H. Brown 1905-1908 - no data 1908-1915 - H.B. Seigle from 1915 - no data
Membership Data:	1898 - about 35 families^(xxiii)
Cemetery Information:	See Edinburgh Jewish Cemeteries Information on Edinburgh Community home page.

Notes & Sources
(↵ returns to text above)

(i) and (ii) Reserved.
(iii) The congregation was listed under both these names in the Jewish Year Books. ↵
(iv) The Jewish Experience in Scotland from Immigration to Integration by Dr. Kenneth Collins (2016) (the "Jewish Experience") p.31. It took its name from the synagogue's tin roof ↵
(v) This is the name used in the "Edinburgh Jewish History" on the website of Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation, accessed May 2025. ↵
(vi) and (vii) Reserved.
(viii) This was the address listed in Jewish Year Books from 1898/9. ↵
(ix) 1879 is the date given in the "Edinburgh Jewish History" on the website of Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation, whereas Jewish Year Books from 1896/7 gave the founding date as 1890. ↵
(x) The "Jewish Experience", pp. 29, 43, and the "Edinburgh Jewish History" on the website of Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation. ↵
(xi) Based upon the congregation's last listing being in the Jewish Year Book 1916. ↵
(xii) In the congregation's listing in the first Jewish Year Book (1896/7) and the following year, it was described as a branch synagogue although that term is not used after 1899/1900. ↵
(xiii) and (xiv) Reserved.
(xv) Based upon Rev. Levine's listing as shochet from the first Jewish Year Book (1896/7) until the 1904/5 edition. ↵
(xvi) Jewish Chronicle report of 16 December 1906 of Rev. Abrahams's appointment as chazan shocket and mohel. He did not appear as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books, the congregation not being listed from 1905/6 through 1907/8.) ↵
(xvii) Rev. Arkush was listed as reader at the congregation in the Jewish Year Book 1909. ↵
(xviii) Based upon Rev. Berman's listing as reader at the congregation in the Jewish Year Books 1910 and 1911. ↵
(xix) Based upon Rev. Chazan's listing as reader at the congregation in the Jewish Year Books 1912 and 1913. The were no subsequent listings of readers of the congregation. ↵
(xx) and (xxi) Reserved.
(xxii) 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 and that he continued in office until the commencement of office of his successor, unless the office was vacant. Initially year books corresponded to the Hebrew year, and thus ran roughly from autumn of one year - the year of publication - until autumn of the next year. From 1909, year books were published according to the Gregorian year, being published generally towards the end of the year prior to the year appearing in the title of the year book. For example, if an officer is listed in Jewish Year Books 1909 through 1914, it is assumed that he commenced office in 1908 and continued in office until 1914. However, it should be noted that this is only an assumption and, accordingly, his actual years of office may differ somewhat from those shown here.The congregation was not listed in Jewish Year Books 1905/6 through 1907/8. ↵
(xxiii) Jewish Year Books 1898/9. ↵

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Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation

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Page created: 9 October 2005
Data significantly expanded and notes added: 16 May 2025
Page most recently amended: 18 May 2025

Research and formatting by David Shulman

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