Montefiore synagogue
Encyclopedia
The Montefiore Synagogue was the private synagogue
of Sir Moses Montefiore
. It is an 1833, Grade II* listed building in Ramsgate
, Kent, England.
. On the day the building was dedicated, Montefiore fulfilled the Jewish custom of marking such an occasion by giving charity to the poor by giving money to be distributed by the priests of the two neighbouring Church of England
parishes.
The house has been demolished. The synagogue remains in use by the Sephardic community.
In 2007 a general medical practice opened on the grounds of the former estate. The developer contributed funds to preserve the woodlands next to the historic synagogue.
The synagogue is a noted example of ecclesiastical Regency architecture
. The architect was Montefiore's cousin, David Mocatta
. It was the first purpose-built synagogue in Britain designed by a Jewish architect. It is a masonry building covered with stucco. The building is a rectangular with canted corners and a semicircular apse to accommodate the Torah Ark. The small vestibule contains the stairway of the women's gallery. The facade features a clock, which is unusual in synagogue architecture. It is the only synagogue ever built in the United Kingdom with a chiming clock. The clock bears the motto, Time flies, virtue alone remains. The Montefiore coat of arms was a later addition to the facade.
The typically Regency interior features an octagonal dome with a lantern
to admit daylight, and a window over the Torah Ark. The interior was originally of whitewashed plaster. The pink, grey and cream marble and granite walls and much of the furniture were added by Montefiore's heirs in 1912. Oak furniture and iron gallery supports were added in 1933. Windows on the northeast and southeast walls with stained glass were also added in 1933.
The synagogue is illuminated by candles in the original chandeliers. The gallery is curtained by an old-fashioned, tall, latticework. It retains Lady Montefiore's original seat, no. 3. Sir Moses' seat is on the ground floor. The original wooden board with the prayer for the Royal Family
is now in the Bristol Synagogue.
on the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem
. During an 1841 visit to the Levant
, Montefiore got permission from the Ottoman Empire
to restore the tomb.
Like Rachel's tomb, the Montefiore mausoleum is cube surmounted by a dome. It has an open, arched porch. The interior has a stained glass skylight but no other decoration. The two graves are marked by identical chest tombs of Aberdeen
marble. The graves face east, towards Jerusalem. The floor is made of Minton
tile. The porch features ironwork grills in intricate Moorish
patterns.
Beyond the tomb there is a short, stone pillar of Galilee
basalt
on a plinth, which the Montefiores brought from the Levant.
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
of Sir Moses Montefiore
Moses Montefiore
Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, Kt was one of the most famous British Jews of the 19th century. Montefiore was a financier, banker, philanthropist and Sheriff of London...
. It is an 1833, Grade II* listed building in Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
, Kent, England.
History
The synagogue was in the European tradition of great men having private chapels on their estates. Sir Moses Montefiore had the synagogue built immediately upon purchasing the seaside East Cliff estate at Ramsgate and building a country houseEnglish country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
. On the day the building was dedicated, Montefiore fulfilled the Jewish custom of marking such an occasion by giving charity to the poor by giving money to be distributed by the priests of the two neighbouring Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parishes.
The house has been demolished. The synagogue remains in use by the Sephardic community.
In 2007 a general medical practice opened on the grounds of the former estate. The developer contributed funds to preserve the woodlands next to the historic synagogue.
Architecture
The building is set on a knoll that, in Sir Moses' day, overlooked extensive gardens.The synagogue is a noted example of ecclesiastical Regency architecture
Regency architecture
The Regency style of architecture refers primarily to buildings built in Britain during the period in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to later buildings following the same style...
. The architect was Montefiore's cousin, David Mocatta
David Mocatta
David Mocatta was a British architect and a member of the Anglo-Jewish Mocatta family.-Biography:Mocatta studied in London from 1821 to 1827 under Sir John Soane and travelled in Italy...
. It was the first purpose-built synagogue in Britain designed by a Jewish architect. It is a masonry building covered with stucco. The building is a rectangular with canted corners and a semicircular apse to accommodate the Torah Ark. The small vestibule contains the stairway of the women's gallery. The facade features a clock, which is unusual in synagogue architecture. It is the only synagogue ever built in the United Kingdom with a chiming clock. The clock bears the motto, Time flies, virtue alone remains. The Montefiore coat of arms was a later addition to the facade.
The typically Regency interior features an octagonal dome with a lantern
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
to admit daylight, and a window over the Torah Ark. The interior was originally of whitewashed plaster. The pink, grey and cream marble and granite walls and much of the furniture were added by Montefiore's heirs in 1912. Oak furniture and iron gallery supports were added in 1933. Windows on the northeast and southeast walls with stained glass were also added in 1933.
The synagogue is illuminated by candles in the original chandeliers. The gallery is curtained by an old-fashioned, tall, latticework. It retains Lady Montefiore's original seat, no. 3. Sir Moses' seat is on the ground floor. The original wooden board with the prayer for the Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
is now in the Bristol Synagogue.
Mausoleum
Next to the synagogue is the tomb which is the final resting place of Sir Moses and Judith, Lady Montefiore. It is a replica of Rachel's TombRachel's Tomb
Rachel's Tomb , also known as the Dome of Rachel, , is an ancient structure believed to be the burial place of the biblical matriarch Rachel. It is located on the outskirts of Bethlehem, a Palestinian city just south of Jerusalem, in the West Bank...
on the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
. During an 1841 visit to the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
, Montefiore got permission from the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
to restore the tomb.
Like Rachel's tomb, the Montefiore mausoleum is cube surmounted by a dome. It has an open, arched porch. The interior has a stained glass skylight but no other decoration. The two graves are marked by identical chest tombs of Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
marble. The graves face east, towards Jerusalem. The floor is made of Minton
Minton Ware
Minton Ware refers to ceramic products of Thomas Minton & Sons, a company founded by Thomas Minton in 1793.During the 19th century, Mintons Ltd became one of the leading pottery works of England, producing many shapes and designs, including willow pattern...
tile. The porch features ironwork grills in intricate Moorish
Moorish architecture
Moorish architecture is the western term used to describe the articulated Berber-Islamic architecture of North Africa and Al-Andalus.-Characteristic elements:...
patterns.
Beyond the tomb there is a short, stone pillar of Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
on a plinth, which the Montefiores brought from the Levant.
Sources
- Sharman KadishSharman KadishSharman Kadish is a contemporary scholar, author, and historian with particular expertise in Jewish British history and with several publications under her name. Of particular note is her monograph, Bolsheviks and British Jews...
, Jewish Heritage in England: An Architectural Guide, English Heritage, 2006, pp. 58-62 - Carol Herselle KrinskyCarol Herselle KrinskyCarol Herselle Krinsky Architectural historian, born in New York City, New York, USA. She studied at Smith College New York University, Krinsky is a professor of twentieth-century architectural history at New York University...
, Synagogues of Europe; Architecture, History, Meaning; MIT 1985; revised edition, MIT Press, 1986; Dover reprint, 1996, p. 127
External links
- The Montefiore Endowment
- Montefiore Synagogue on Jewish Communities and Records - UK (hosted by jewishgen.org).
- YouTube: Montefiore Synagogue Ramsgate Open Day 2007 (virtual tour)