Liberal Jewish Synagogue

Without proper rendering support , you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Hebrew letters. The Liberal Jewish Synagogue , or LJS ( , Qahal Kadosh Lev Chadash , "Holy Congregation New Heart"), is a house of prayer in St John's Wood , London , founded in 1911.¹ It is the oldest and largest member of Britain's Liberal Judaism , a constituent member of the World Union for Progressive Judaism . Claude Montefiore 's Jewish Religious Union, established in 1902, opened a prayer association in a converted chapel at Hill Street, London 18 ( Map ), on 4 February 1911. Within a year, Hebrew Union College graduate Rabbi Israel Mattuck was appointed minister. By 1915, the congregation had 416 members and grew, reaching 784 in 1921. A permanent edifice at St John's Wood, with a capacity of 1,400 people and designed by architect Ernest Joseph , was dedicated on 13 September 1925. Leo Baeck , an internationally famous rabbi and Holocaust survivor, served as the synagogue's president (Fox 2011). Lily Montagu was a spiritual as well as a lay leader at the synagogue and a member of the LJS Council from its inception until her death (Fox 2011). Rabbi Mattuck conducted services until 1947, retiring to function as Rabbi Emeritus, and was replaced by his former assistant, Leslie Edgar. John Rayner was senior minister between 1961 and 1989. He was succeeded by David Goldberg, who was in turn replaced by Alexandra Wright in 2004.² The synagogue employs the Lev Chadash denominational prayerbook.³ Since its earliest days, it has had mixed-gender seating.