A new grant from the National Lottery will help preserve historic synagogues in areas such as Wales, Brighton, and the East End, addressing the challenges of declining congregations and
limited resources. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £141,391 to support a new UK-wide project aimed at preserving historic synagogues.
The initial grant, announced by the Jewish Heritage Foundation on Tuesday, March 24, could attract up to £1.2 million in additional funding, with hopes of extending the initiative for five years. The project, “Preserving Jewish Heritage, Promoting Hidden Jewish History,” implemented in partnership with the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Heritage Network, will provide advisory and practical support to historic synagogues in areas such as governance and building maintenance, management, capacity building, sustainability, archiving, education, and outreach.
Key elements of the new project include the appointment of two new support officers: one responsible for buildings, repairs, and maintenance, and the other for education and outreach; the creation of a project website with information and resources; the establishment of a network of historic synagogues, including a forum for volunteers working to preserve synagogue heritage; the development of a historic synagogue heritage trail; and a development grant scheme providing small amounts of funding to synagogues for early-stage project work.
The Foundation is currently involved in three major synagogue preservation projects in the UK: in Merthyr Tydfil in Wales, where a Victorian synagogue is being transformed into a Welsh Jewish cultural centre; at the Grade II-listed Middle Street Synagogue in central Brighton, where the Foundation is working with the Brighton and Hove Jewish community; and at the fully functioning Sandys Row Synagogue, whose leadership is working with the Foundation to explore the creation of a heritage centre based on the legacy of the Jewish East End.
The organization is also working worldwide to preserve synagogue and cemetery heritage in Germany, Spain, Ukraine, Austria, Turkey, Poland, Russia, Belarus, Iraq, and Syria. Photo by Nigel Cox, Wikimedia commons.