Shabbat Services

Friday evening services will be held at the Synagogue each week at 19:00 during the summer (BST) from 3 July 2009 (change of time) and at 18:00 during the winter (GMT).

We also hold a monthly Family Service at the Synagogue on the first Saturday of each calendar month at 10:00. Unfortunately our parents’ and children’s group, known as “Atid” (future) which used to meet in the Centenary Hall during the service is not meeting for the time being as we are currently looking for someone to run the group. However parents and younger children are welcome to meet informally in the Centenary Hall or to join the congregation. Older children and teenagers are especially welcome to attend and to participate in the service.

There is a Kiddush provided by the Guild after the service.

Dates for the next few months are:-

Saturday 7 November
Saturday 5 December

In addition to published services there is an informal Shabbat morning service at 10am on most intermediate Saturdays in the month.  Please inform the Secretary if you wish to be notified of occasions when this will not take place.

Service for learners

As a further way of assisting those members who are not totally familiar with the Chatham liturgy, we now hold an “explanatory service” when there is a demand for this. This is incorporated into the informal services (see above).

We have produced a transliterated siddur (prayer book) to assist any congregants who are not fluent at reading Hebrew. For further details visit our Transliteration page.

Chanukah

Chanukah is always a colourful occasion at Chatham Memorial Synagogue. It is a tradition at Chatham that families bring their own chanukiot. This means that all the children can light candles and it makes a very colourful display while everyone is having tea.

This year we celebrated the lighting of the first candle at the synagogue in conjunction with Jewish Kent.

Thanks to Jerry Karlin for the excellent photos he took at the 2003 Chanukah party.

Holocaust Memorial Day

A Consecration service for a new Holocaust Memorial Window was held in the Synagogue in January 2003.

From 2004, the Holocaust Memorial Day event has been organised by apartnership of four organisations; Chatham Memorial Synagogue, Medway Council, Rochester Cathedral and teh Meway Interfaith Action Forum.

The synagogue participated in a Holocaust Memorial Event in Rochester Cathedral on 27 January 2004 and in an event to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on 27 January 2005 in the Corn Exchange, Rochester.  There was also a service at the synagogue on Friday 27 January 2006.

An event was held at the Chapter School, Strood on Saturday 27 January 2007, with a very moving programme of poetry, readings drama and dance by the students. On Sunday 27 January 2008 an  event in Rochester Cathedral involved sudents from anumber of local schools. For further details click here.

Tisha B’Av

For the first time at Chatham, we held a service in 2003 for the eve of Tisha B’Av where we read from the book of Lamentations. This has now become a regular part of the Chatham religious calendar and this year we were again pleased to welcom Elkan Levy, the Director of the Office of Small Communities to participate in our service. For more information click here.

Service of Rembrance and Renewal

We held a Service of Remembrance and Renewal on Sunday 14 April 2002. The service was conducted jointly by representatives of Chatham Memorial Synagogue, Bromley Reform Synagogue and Kent Liberal Jewish Community.  Further details and photos can be obtained by clicking here.

Kent Liberal Jewish Community

We are pleased to advise that our friends in the Kent Liberal Jewish Community hold regular sevices at a location in central Maidstone and that anyone interested in attending a KLJC service should contact them on their enquiry number 07952 242432 or via email at bulletin.kljc@liberaljudaism.org.

They also have a website at www.jewishkent.org.uk/Communities/KLJC/kljc.html