About Chatham Memorial Synagogue

The Synagogue

As a small provincial community we are extremely fortunate to occupy this beautiful grade 2* listed building which was built in 1869 by Simon Magnus in memory of his son, Lazarus, and designed in the Baroque style by Hyman Collins.

It occupies the site of an earlier synagogue dating back to about 1750.

The site where the minister’s house used to be is now occupied by the Centenary Hall.

As a grade 2* listed building, the fabric and structure of the synagogue are constantly in need of repairs and maintenance. Our membership income is fully utilised in meeting the running costs of the synagogue, so when major repair and renovation to the Synagogue become necessary, this is usually the subject of a separate appeal though fundraising is an ongoing process.

We appreciate the support of Jewish Heritage for our historic synagogue and community. For further details please click www.jewish-heritage-uk.org

Please visit our Location/Map page for our address and a map showing our location.

The Commmunity

Chatham Memorial Synagogue is an independent traditional synagogue, which means that we are not affiliated to any  major religious body. All of our services are run on traditional lines by lay members of the community who between them have many years of liturgical experience.  Although we are a small community with limited financial resources, we hold regular services for Shabbat and festivals as well as social and cultural events. Please visit our Services page or our This Month page for further details.

Ten years ago, in 2001, we had a serious look at how best to secure the future of our community into the 21st century, and so continue to practice our religion in our beautiful Synagogue. This process was called “The Way Forward” and details appear on a separate page.

We are always pleased to welcome visitors to the area and their families as well as new and prospective members. Please contact us for further details.

As a community we are conscious of our responsibilities in the field of education both within the Jewish Community and the wider community. We regularly host visits by groups of local school children as well as assisting religious education students at local universities and colleges of education.

We have warm and friendly links with the other Jewish Communities in Kent through a network called Jewish Kent.

The community is also involved in Inter-Faith matters and works closely with Medway council, Rochester Cathedral, Medway Inter-Faith Action Forum and the Medway Youth Parliament in organising annual commemorative events in Medway for Holocaust Memorial Day.

The beautiful stained glass window which you see below and which was largely funded by Medway Council was unveiled by the Mayor of Medway on 26 January 2003 at a service for Holocaust Memorial Day.
[Home] [About us] [Contact Us] [Location/Map] [This month] [Services]

 

 

Chatham Memorial Synagogue is a registered charity - No. 800902        Website last updated 25 March 2013