the former

Upton Park District Synagogue

London E6

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and congregations throughout the British Isles and Gibraltar, both past and present.

Congregation Data

Name:

Upton Park District Synagogue (from 1937)⁽ⁱ⁾

Former Names:

Upton Park (Associate) Synagogue (from 1923 to 1937)⁽ⁱⁱ⁾

Upton Park Synagogue (until 1923)⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾

Last Address:

56 Tudor Road, Forest Gate, London E6 1DR^(iv)

The vacant site was acquired by the congregation for £475 and on 24 June 1923 the foundation stone for the synagogue, designed by architect, Cecil Jacob Eprile,^(v) was laid by Joseph Prag JP, with Dayan Mendelsohn officiating. The synagogue was opened by Sir Robert Waley Cohen and the building was consecrated by Chief Rabbi Dr. J.H. Hertz on 9 September 1923. The synagogue provided accommodation for 310 congregants and included two classrooms.^(vi)

Following World War II, a communal hall was constructed on the vacant site adjoining the synagogue, the foundation stone being laid on 24 May 1959 and the hall, named the Oscar Kosky Hall, was consecrated on 29 may 1960.^(vii)

Formation and Earlier Addresses:

By the 1910s, a number of Jews had been moving into the neighbourhood, many of whom were traders in the Queens Street market, an open street market adjacent to Green Street and Upton Park tube station. Initially all or nearly all the stall holders were Jewish traders who had migrated further east from Whitechapel and elsewhere in London's East End, selling clothing and vegetables.

In October 1911, the initial resolution to establish the congregation was passed at a meeting of Jewish residents of the area held at the home of S. Alper, a Queens Street market trader.^(x)

A shop and house at 38 Plashet Grove, East Ham, E6, was rented and later converted into a synagogue, which was consecrated by Dayan Chaiken and opened by on 28 January 1913.^(xi)

In June 1918 the congregation purchased the freehold at 277 Katherine Road and converted it into a synagogue.^(xii)

Final Status:

World War II caused major disruption to the congregation and the area was slow to recover from extensive war damage. Synagogue membership began to materially decline in the 1960s. The synagogue also suffered repeated break-ins in the late 1960.^(xiii)

Plaque at Willesden Cemetery commemorating the amalgamation of the synagogue with West Ham Synagogue.

Following some years of discussion, a meeting was held on 22 May 1972 between the board of management of the congregation and the hon. officers of neighbouring West Ham District Synagogue, at which it was agreed that the congregation would amalgamate with the neighbouring synagogue on 1 July 1972.^(xiv) On 3 July 1972, at the first meeting of the merged congregation it was agreed that the new congregation would assume the name West Ham & Upton Park District Synagogue (formally approved by the United Synagogue on 13 November 1972). A Service of Amalgamation was held on 5 September 1972, attended by Chief Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits.^(xv)

Following its sale, the former synagogue building became a church, being acquired by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and in the 2000s it became the Baitul Ahad Mosque of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community.^(xvi)

Ritual:

Ashkenazi Orthodox

Affiliation:

The congregation was unaffiliated until it joined the United Synagogue under the associate synagogue scheme on 11 November 1923 (the year it completed the building of its Tudor Road synagogue), becoming a district synagogue in 1937.^(xvii)

Ministers and Readers:
(To view a short profile of a minister or reader whose name appears in blue - hold the cursor over his name.)

Rev. S.H. Michaelson - minister in about 1913/14.^(xxi)

Rev. Joseph Rabbinowitz - minister from about 1916 until about 1919.^(xxii)

S. Wolman - reader from about 1917 until about 1926.^(xxiii)

Rev. B. Rappaport - reader from about 1926 until about 1929.^(xxiv)

Rev. N. Melnick - reader from about 1929 until about 1935.^(xxv)

Rev. H. Freilich - reader from 1935 until about 1940^(xxviii)

Rev. Michael Ehrnthal - minister in 1942^(xxix)

Rev. Nathan Bergerman - minister from 1942 until 1945^(xxx)

Rev. Jacob Posen - minister and secretary from 1945 until 1950/1.^(xxxi)

Rev. Simcha Tesler - reader from 1950/1 until 1963.^(xxxii)

Rev. Maurice Aaron Kibel - part-time reader in mid-1960s.^(xxxv)

Rev. David Wolfson - minister in about 1968.^(xxxvi)

Rev. Henry Daviest - minister from about 1971 until about 1972.^(xxxvii)

Lay Officers:

Unless otherwise stated, all data on lay officers has been extracted from listings in Jewish Year Books.^(xli)

Presidents

1913-1914 - I. De Leef

1914-1917 - I. Cyzer

1917-1919 - Leo Cohen (Chairman)

1919-1921 - no data

1921-1924 - A. Weinberg

1924-1926 - M. Abramowitz

1926-1927 - I. Ruter

1927-1932 - Jack Simmons

1932-1936 - M. Abramowitz

1936-1937 - A. Cohen^(xlii)

Wardens

1937-1939 - D. Bellson & Joseph Simmons^(xlii)

1939-1940 - I. Ruter & J. Cohen

1940-1945 - no data

1945-1947 - J. Cohen

1947-1948 - J. Cohen & I. Ruter

1948-1953 - J. Cohen & M. Cohen

1953-1956 - W. Kosky & M. Cohen

from 1956 - no data

Vice Presidents

1932-1934 - I. Ruter

1934-1936 - A. Cohen

1936-1937 - Max Shenker^(xlii)

Treasurers

1913-1917 - M. Shenker

1917-1919 - J. Abromovitch & A. Weinberg

1919-1924 - J. Abromovitch

1924-1926 - T. Rattner

1926-1927 - L. Luck

1927-1936 - Joseph Simmons

1936-1937 - A. Shenker^(xlii)

Financial Representatives

1937-1939 - A. Cohen^(xlii)

1939-1940 - H. Joseph, JP

1940-1945 - no data

1945-1956 - Alec. Cohen

from 1956 - no data

Secretaries & Hon Secretaries

1914-1917 - Leo Cohen

1917-1924 - no data

1924-1939 - G. Jones

1939-1940 - S. Rosslyn

1940-1945 - no data

1945-1950/1 - Rev. Jacob Posen

1952-1972 - Arthur C. Gilbert

Membership Data:

United Synagogue (male seat-holders)^(xliii)

1935

1950

1960

1970

159

177

237

169

Other Sources (members)^(xliv)

1936

1940

191

187

Local Government Districts:

Upton Park is situated in east London, north of the river Thames and it, and all addresses listed for the Congregation, are now in the London Borough of Newham.^(xlv)

Previously, until 1965, all these addresses, apart from Queens Road, were in the former County Borough of East Ham (which had been a municipal borough until 1915). Queens Road was in the former County Borough of West Ham.

Cemetery
Information:

For United Synagogue cemeteries, see Cemeteries of the United Synagogue.

Bibliography and Online Material
relating to this Congregation

Bibliography:
- The History of Upton Park Synagogue, by Cyril Wiseman, reproduced on pages 106-109 of Earlham Grove Shul - one hundred years of West Ham Synagogue and Community (1997), by Howard Bloch;
- The Lost Synagogues of London, by Peter Renton, P., (2000), p. 144;
- other London Borough of Newham bibliography

Congregation Records
Registration District (BDM):	Newham from 1 January 1968^(xlvi) - Link to Register Office website
Marriage Records:	Marriage Registers (first entry January 1926; last entry October 1971) deposited with Newham Register Office.

Other Organisations & Institutions
connected to this congregation

Educational

Hebrew & Religious Classes - Founded in February 1913, with 26 pupils, it shortly thereafter also provided for some 20 to 30 Jewish children who were boarded out by the St George in the East Board of Guardians in their scattered homes. In September 1913 it became affiliated to the Union of Hebrew and Religious Classes.^(li)
Rev. B. Cousin was superintendent of the classes in the 1920s and until some time after 1936.
The classes were suspended during World War II from 1939 until 1943.^(lii)
The following are details of the number of pupils enrolled in the classes for the relevant years:^(liii)

late 1913

1914

1915

1917

1921

82

70

80

65

45

Other Institutions

Ladies Guild - formed by 1913.^(lv)
Burial Society - a burial society for members, separate the synagogue administration, was set up in April 1921.^(lvi)
A local Zionist Society met on the synagogue premises in the 1920s.^(lvii)
The South Essex Young Judeans, a philanthropic society active in the 1930s, met at the synagogue.^(lvii)
The Young Princes' Club, for the congregation's boys, was formed in 1933/4.^(lvii)
The "OK" Youth Club, meeting at the synagogue's Oscar Kosky hall, was set up in 1967.^(lvii)

Notes & Sources
(↵ returns to text above)

The following notes rely in part on The History of Upton Park Synagogue, by Cyril Wiseman ("Wiseman's History"), which was reproduced on pages 106-109 of Earlham Grove Shul (a history of West Ham synagogue) by Howard Bloch, 1997 ("Earlham Grove Shul"). When a page number is quoted for Wiseman's History, it refers to the relevant page of Earlham Grove Shul.

(i) The official name of the congregation from when it became a District Synagogue in 1937. It was listed under this name in Jewish Year Books from 1939. ↵
(ii) The name of the congregation during its period as an Associate Synagogue. It was generally listed under this name in Jewish Year Books 1925 through 1938. ↵
(iii) The name of the congregation prior to its joining the United Synagogue. It was listed under this name in Jewish Year Books 1914 through 1924. ↵
(iv) Tudar Road, Forest Gate, E7 was the address listed in all Jewish Year Books from 1924 through 1973 (its last listing). ↵
(v) The Center for Jewish Art. To view a description of the Jewish architectural works by Cecil Jacob Eprile, hold your cursor over his name. ↵
(vi) Wiseman's History - p.108. ↵
(vii) Wiseman's History - p.109. ↵
(viii) and (ix) Reserved.
(x) Wiseman's History - p.106. ↵
(xi) Wiseman's History - p.106. This was the congregation's address listed in Jewish Year Books 1914 through 1919. ↵
(xii) Wiseman's History - p.107. This was the congregation's address listed in Jewish Year Books 1920 through 1923. ↵
(xiii) Jewish Chronicle of 25 October 1968 reported the third break-in in twelve month. ↵
(xiv) Earlham Grove Shul - p.106. The final listing of the congregation was in Jewish Year Book 1973. ↵
(xv) Earlham Grove Shul - p.109. ↵
(xvi) Jewish Heritage in Britain and Ireland by Sherman Kadish, pp.39/40. ↵
(xvii) The United Synagogue 1870-1970 by Aubrey Newman (1977), pp. 221 & 223 and Wiseman's History - p.108. (The congregation was listed as an associate synagogue in Jewish Year Books 1925 through 1937, and was thereafter listed as a district synagogue.). ↵
(xviii) to (xx) Reserved.
(xxi) Based solely on Rev. S.H. Listing's listing as minister of the congregation in the Jewish Year Book 1914. ↵
(xxii) Based solely on Rev. Joseph Rabbinowitz's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1917 through 1919. ↵
(xxiii) Based solely upon S. Wolman's listing as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1918 through 1926. ↵
(xxiv) Based solely upon Rev. B. Rappaport's listing as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1927 through 1929. ↵
(xxv) Based solely upon Rev. N. Melnick's listing as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1930 through 1936, but noting that his successor took office by 1935. ↵
(xxvi) and (xxvii) Reserved.
(xxviii) The Jewish Chronicle of 13 September 1935 reported on Rev. Freilich's induction service and on 24 February 1939 it placed him at Upton Park. He was listed as reader of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1937 through 1940. ↵
(xxix) Rev. Ehrnthal (later Elton) resigned from his temporary post at Hammersmith Synagogue in February 1942 to take up the post at Upton Park (The History of the Hammersmith Synagogue (1950) by M. Adler, pp.48, 54). ↵
(xxx) Rev. Bergerman's Jewish Chronicle obituary of 10 February 1978. ↵
(xxxi) The Jewish Chronicle of 6 July 1945 reported that Rev. Jacob Posen was last week inducted as minister of the Upton Park District Synagogue and on 16 March 1951 it reported his Induction at Nottingham synagogue. He was listed as minister, reader and secretary of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1945/6 through 1951. ↵
(xxxii) Jewish Chronicle obituary 27 December 1963 states Rev Tesler served for over 12 years and died in office. He was listed as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1952 through 1964. ↵
(xxxiii) and (xxxiv) Reserved.
(xxxv) Jewish Chronicle obituary of 9 April 2010. Jolles's Encyclopaedia of Chazanim, etc. stated that he served at Upton Park "subsequent" to his service at Coventry. He was not listed as minister of the congregation in any Jewish Year Book. ↵
(xxxvi) Jewish Chronicle report of 1 August 1969 places Rev Wolfson at Upton Park District synagogue, but later that year he had moved to Brondesbury synagogue. He was not listed as minister of the congregation in any Jewish Year Book. ↵
(xxxvii) Based solely upon Rev. H. Daviest's listing as minister of the congregation in Jewish Year Books 1972 and 1973. ↵
(xxxviii) to (xl) Reserved.
(xli) There were no Jewish Year Book listings of officers (other than secretary) subsequent to 1956. 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 (which was generally towards the end of the year prior to the year appearing in the title of the year book) and that he continued in office until the commencement of office of his successor, unless the office was vacant (e.g. if he is listed in Jewish Year Books 1935 through 1938, it is assumed that he commenced office in 1934 and continued in office until 1938). However, it should be noted that this is only an assumption and accordingly his actual years of office may differ slightly from those shown here. Jewish Year Books were not published during WWII subsequent to 1940. ↵
(xlii) A. Cohen was listed as president in Jewish Year Books 1937 and 1938 and wardens were first listed in the 1939 edition. As it is understood that the change from president to wardens would have taken place upon the congregation achieving District Synagogue status in 1937, we have taken 1937 as the relevant date for A. Cohen to have been succeeded by wardens. A similar view has been taken with regard to the change from Treasurer to Financial Representative and the date of departure of the vice president. ↵
(xliii) The United Synagogue 1870-1970 by Aubrey Newman (1977), pp. 216/217. ↵
(xliv) Wiseman's History - p.106. Of the 191 members in 1936, 45 were living in Queens Road. of the 187 members in 1940, all but 16 had private addresses outside East Ham or West Ham. ↵
(xlv) The London Borough of Newham, an Outer London Borough within the Greater London administrative area, was created on 1 April 1965 upon the merger of the former County Boroughs of East Ham and West Ham (both unitary authorities geographically in the county of Essex) with some small adjoining areas. ↵
(xlvi) The former Registration Districts were: West Ham - from 1 July 1837 until 1 October 1935; and East Ham (except Queens Road, which remained in West Ham) - from 1 October 1935 until 1 January 1968. All registers would now be held by the current register office. ↵
(xlvii) to (l) Reserved.
(li) Wiseman's History - p.107. ↵
(lii) Wiseman's History - p.109. ↵
(liii) Figures extracted from the Jewish Year Book for the year following the year listed. ↵
(liv) Reserved.
(lv) First listed in the Jewish Year Book 1914. ↵
(lvi) Wiseman's History - p.107. ↵
(lvii) Various Jewish Chronicle reports. ↵

List of United Synagogue Congregations

Jewish Congregations in the London Borough of Newham

Jewish Congregations in Greater London

Greater London home page

Page created: 27 August 2006
Notes first added: 8 February 2018
Data significantly expanded: 3 June 2026
Page most recently amended: 23 August 2026

Research by David Shulman, assisted by Steven Jaffe
Formatting by David Shulman

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