| Richmond Synagogue | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | United Synagogue |
| Rite | Orthodox Judaism |
| Leadership | Rabbi Meir Shindler |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Lichfield Gardens, Richmond TW9 1AP |
| Municipality | London Borough of Richmond upon Thames |
| Geographic coordinates | 51°27′44″N 0°17′59″W / 51.46219°N 0.29967°W |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Stern Thom Fehler Architects |
| Completed | 1987 |
| Website | |
| www | |
Richmond Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish community in Richmond, London. The congregation, whose synagogue building is in Lichfield Gardens, has 250 members[1] and is a member community of the United Synagogue.[2]
A Jewish community is known to have existed in Richmond in the late 17th century. King William III dined with Solomon de Medina, a Jewish businessman, at his country house in Richmond in November 1699.[3]
Until 1916, Richmond's Jewish religious community was known as the Richmond Hebrew Congregation. From 1916 to 1938, as Richmond Associate Synagogue, it met at Central Hall, Parkshot, Richmond,[4] a building opened on 28 June 1916 by Leopold de Rothschild, the then-President of the United Synagogue.[5] From 1938, the renamed Richmond District Synagogue met at a converted chapel at 8 Sheen Road, which was compulsorily purchased by Richmond upon Thames Council to make way for a Waitrose supermarket and multi-storey car park.[4][6]
Designed by Stern Thom Fehler Architects,[7] a new purpose-built synagogue building at Lichfield Gardens was opened on 8 March 1987 by Chief Rabbi Sir Immanuel Jakobovits and Rabbi Moshe Barron. A rabbi's house was later built on part of the synagogue's car park.[5]
Richmond Synagogue's rabbi, since June 2016, is Meir Shindler, who was previously at Chigwell and Hainault Synagogue.[1][8][9] Previous rabbis have included Maurice Ginsberg (1922–61),[5] Yitzchak Schochet (1991–93),[10] Jonathan Hughes (2013–15)[11][12][13] and Yossi Ives (2003–12).[14][15] Notable congregants have included Eldred Tabachnik and Lord Woolf.[5]
Services are held on Friday evenings at 7:00 pm and on Saturday mornings at 9:30 am.[16] The synagogue operates a day centre for Jewish people over 60.[17]
