Massive turn out for Merthyr Tydfil synagogue open day
'Palpable excitement' as Foundation for Jewish Heritage throws open the doors of planned Welsh Jewish Heritage Centre
Five hundred guests attended a special open day in Wales to see the planned Welsh Jewish Heritage Centre being developed at the former Merthyr synagogue.
Visitors flocked in from across Wales and beyond throughout Sunday 18th February to see inside the shul for the first time since the building was closed in 2006.
Merthyr Tydfil Synagogue was built in the 1870s and is the oldest purpose-built synagogue surviving in Wales. The community came to an end in 1983. The Foundation for Jewish Heritage purchased the building in 2019 with the vision to turn the site into a Welsh Jewish Heritage Centre.
In 2022, the Foundation secured funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Welsh Government and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council to develop the plans.
Guests on Sunday were also able to visit the nearby Soar community centre where they could meet the professional team driving the synagogue project, view the architect’s plans, and examine artefacts associated with the former Jewish community.
Many of those who attended brought their own memories and memorabilia associated with Jewish life in Wales and a number of guests represented families who had once been members of Merthyr synagogue.
Local historian Chris Clifford gave two talks and entertainment was provided by a Welsh klezmer band.
London-based cantor Yudi Cohen, whose grandfather had been a cantor in the Merthyr synagogue in the 1950s, gave a moving rendition of ‘Hashivenu’ in the synagogue.
Special visitors included local MP Gerald Jones, Merthyr Tydfil county borough council leader Geraint Thomas, National Lottery Heritage Fund Wales director Andrew White, Rabbi Rose from the Cardiff Orthodox community, and various representatives of local Merthyr organisations.
Dame Helen Hyde DBE, Chair of the Foundation for Jewish Heritage, said: “It was a very special occasion that demonstrated the huge level of interest in the project. We received lots of good information and feedback that will help to shape the future of the project. The excitement in the room was palpable!”
Michael Mail, chief executive of the Foundation for Jewish Heritage said: “The numbers coming through the door surprised us all. And the stories that people brought with them of being Jewish in Wales, or their experience of the Jewish community, was fascinating and moving. We felt very encouraged that the project was truly welcomed and would be widely supported.”
For more information, click here.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
