the former

Clayhall Synagogue

Ilford, Essex

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The former Clayhall Synagogue
(courtesy Jeff Rosen)

Congregation Data
Name:	Clayhall Synagogue
Address:	Jewish Community Centre, Sinclair House, Woodford Bridge Road, Ilford, Essex IL4 5LN⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾
Formation:	Formally established as a separate congregation in about 1993,^(iv) although, prior thereto, for many years a minyan had existed at the Community Centre (also a youth club) operating, to some extent, as an unofficial branch of Ilford Synagogue.^(v)
Final Status:	Merged with Newbury Park Synagogue on 1 January 2015 to form Redbridge United Synagogue,^(vi) which continued to operate from the Jewish Community Centre.^(vii)
Ritual:	Ashkenazi Orthodox
Affiliation:	A constituent member of the United Synagogue.^(viii)
Ministers: (To view a short profile of a minister - hold the cursor over his name.)	Prior to its establishment as an independent congregation, the embryonic congregation was served from time to time by a number part-time ministers, including Rev. Baruch Ben-Zion Greenberg and Rabbi Vivian Silverman. Rabbi Aryeh M. Sufrin - from about 1993 until about 1998^(xiii) Rabbi Jason Kleiman - from 1999 until 2004^(xiv) Rabbi Nissan Wilson - from July 2006 until 2015 merger (and then senior rabbi of Redbridge Synagogue).^(xv)
Membership:	National Reports & Surveys^(xvi) 1996 - 339 members (comprising 320 households, 13 individual male and 6 individual female members) 2010 - listed as having 400 to 499 members (by household)
Charitable Status:	As a constituent of the United Synagogue, the congregation operated within that organisation's registered charity status (registered charity no. 242552).
Local Government District:	The suburb of Ilford in Northeast London is within the London Borough of Redbridge, an outer London borough created on 1 April 1965, within the administrative area of Greater London. Prior to 1965, Ilford was in the former Municipal Borough of Ilford (which was an urban district until 1926) in the county of Essex.
Registration District (BMD):	Redbridge from 1 April 1965^(xvii) - Link to Register Office website
Cemetery Information:	For United Synagogue cemeteries, see Cemeteries of the United Synagogue.
Notes & Sources (↵ returns to text above) (i) and (ii) Reserved. (iii) This was the address for the congregation listed in Jewish Year Books. ↵ (iv) Based upon the congregation being first listed in Jewish Year Book 1994. ↵ (v) A post on the United Synagogue Facebook page on 1 July 2020 stated that the branch functioned from the 1970s. ↵ (vi) The Jewish Chronicle of 6 November 2014 reported on the proposed merger and the website of Cranbrook United Synagogue, last accessed August 2025, confirmed the date. ↵ (vii) Ilford Recorder report of 29 December 2014. ↵ (viii) The congregation was always listed as such in Jewish Year Books. ↵ (ix) to (xii) Reserved. (xiii) Based upon Rabbi A.M. Sufrin's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1994 through 1998. ↵ (xiv) Rabbi J. Kleiman was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 2000 through 2005. He commenced his next post in 2004. ↵ (xv) Rabbi Wilson's Linkedin account confirms he commenced serving the congregation in July 2006. Jewish Chronicle report of 6 November 2014 reported that Rabbi Wilson, the present minister of Clayhall, would be retained as senior minister by the Redbridge synagogue following the merger. Rabbi N. Wilson was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 2009 through 2015 (the last edition). ↵ (xvi) 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. ↵ (xvii) The former Registration Districts were: Romford, from 1 July 1837 until 1 July 1939; and Ilford, from 1 July 1939 until 1 April 1965. All registers would now be held by the current register office. ↵

List of United Synagogue Congregations

Jewish Congregations in the London Borough of Redbridge

Jewish Congregations in Greater London

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Page created: 14 November 2006
Data significantly expanded and notes first added: 24 August 2025
Page most recently amended: 25 August 2025

Research and formatting by David Shulman

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