Weymouth & Portland Jewish Community

Weymouth & Portland

Weymouth (population about 50,000) is a seaside town in Dorset on England's southern coast, situated in a bay at the mouth of the river Wey, some 30 miles west of Bournemouth. The Isle of Portland (population about 12,000) is about five miles to the south of Weymouth and is connected to the mainland by a bridge. Both localities are within the borough and local government district of Wemouth ad Portland, formed in 1974 by the merger of the borough of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis with the urban district of Portland, in the county of Dorset.

Weymouth Jewish Community

Although there are records of Jews in Weymouth since at least the mid nineteenth century, there does not appear to have been an organised Jewish congregation. However, in 2012 and 2013, attempts were made to establish the Weymouth and Portland Jewish Community and meetings were held attended by rabbis from Liberal Judaism. However, in early 2016, the instigator and self-declared leader of the Community was jailed following conviction of several counts of sexual assault and it is uncertain whether the organised Community will survive such a detrimental event.