Sheffield & District Reform Jewish Congregation

Name

Sheffield & District Reform Jewish Congregation

Hebrew Name

Kehillat Shivah Harim ("Seven Hills Shul")⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾

Address:

The Congregation does not have a synagogue building. However it meets regularly at a local community centre – and occasionally in members’ houses.^(iv)

Current Status:

Active

Date Formed:

Formed in 1989 from a nucleus of members of Sinai Synagogue in Leeds living in the Sheffield area^(v)

Ritual:

Reform

Affiliation:

A constituent synagogue of the the Movement for Reform Judaism (formerly known as the Reform Synagogues of Great Britain (RSGB) from about 2000, having previously been as associate community.^(vi)

Website:

http://www.shef-ref.co.uk/

JSCN Link:

Click on Sheffield ‘Seven Hills’ Reform Jewish Community (a member community), on the Jewish Small Communities Network website.

Ministers:

none listed

Congregation's Newsletter:

Omer, published approximately every quarter.

Membership Data

National Reports and Surveys^(x)

1990 - 23 members (comprising 11 households, 5 individual male and 7 individual female members)

1996 - 46 members (4 households)

2010 & 2016 - listed as having under 50 members (by household)

Legal and Charitable Status:

On 14 November 2008, the congregation was incorporated as a registered (non-profit) company (company no. 06749181), a private company limited by guarantee without a share capital (and with an exemption from use of the word 'Limited').^(xi)

The congregation is a also registered charity (registered charity no. 1127317), registered on 30 December 2008.^(xii)

The congregation had a previous registration as a charity (prior to its incorporation as a company) from 17 October 1991 (registered charity no. 1004853) until it was removed from the register on 3 August 2010 (as the non-incorporated entity had ceased to exist).^(xiii)

Registration District:

Sheffield (since 1 July 1837)  - Link to Register Office website.

Cemetery
Information:

The congregation is a member synagogue of the Jewish Joint Burial Society (JJBS), through which the congregation's members participate in a burial scheme.

The Congregation administers its own Jewish Cemetery – in a Section of a City Council cemetery, as a result of an arrangement with Sheffield City Council.

The Congregation has also now introduced a separate mixed-faith area in its cemetery (to allow members to be laid to rest with their non-Jewish partner (in some specific circumstances).^(xiv)

See also Cemetery Information on Sheffield Jewish Community home page.