Project manager hired to lead restoration of historic Merthyr synagogue
Neil Richardson, who is overseeing plans for a Welsh Jewish Heritage centre on site, says Jewish experiences in Wales are valued and celebrated
An organisation that restores Jewish heritage sites across Europe has hired a new project manager to oversee preservation plans for a Grade II listed Welsh shul that closed 40 years ago.
Neil Richardson has been appointed to the role at Merthyr Tydfil shul by the Foundation for Jewish Heritage. Most recently he served as interim director of Grade II listed mansion house, Insole Court in Cardiff.
Merthyr synagogue stopped functioning as a community building in 1983 due to deterioration. It was purchased by The Foundation in 2019 with ambitious plans to use it partly to create the first museum devoted to the 250+ years history of Jews in Wales.
Since that time, urgent repairs have been carried out with the support of Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service. The site was visited by the now King Charles III in 2021.
In 2022, as reported by Jewish News, almost £400,000 in funding was secured from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to create a Welsh Jewish Heritage Centre on the synagogue site, with match funding provided by the Welsh Government and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council.
Richardson is responsible for driving forward that project, overseeing consultants who will work on its next phase of development.
Stephen Goldman, Heritage Centre steering committee chair said: “We have been making steady progress since buying the synagogue in 2019 and Neil’s extensive experience will be vital.”
Michael Mail, chief executive of the Foundation for Jewish Heritage said: “In Neil we have found someone with all the required skills and expertise that the project needs to take us through the National Lottery process.”
Commenting on his appointment, Richardson says the synagogue is of national significance, “with a heritage that has relevance not only to Merthyr Tydfil, but to Wales and to the UK. The project will ensure the building is saved, and that the experiences and stories of the Jewish community in Wales are valued and celebrated.”
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.
