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Join Meeting ID: 829 8972 7723 with Passcode: 270183 15 minutes informal conversations with others in the UK and round the world. Presentation starts promptly 11.15 UK
time.
THIS
WEEK
The Lost Heritage of British Synagogues
Professor David Newman, OBE
What happens to beautiful old synagogues?
How should we preserve them?
How will we remember provincial communities which no longer exist?
Why are today's synagogues so banal compared to the beautiful cathedral synagogues of the
past?
Can synagogue artefacts, torah scrolls and furniture be preserved for new communities?
David Newman is professor of Geopolitics at Ben Gurion University in Israel, where he served as Dean from 2010-2016. Originally from London, he grew up in a family of rabbis and community activists. In 2013 he was awarded the OBE for promoting scientific links between the UK and Israel. Recently he has
turned his attention to the history of Anglo-Jewish communities. During the past 50 years many of the largest synagogues have closed as their communities have moved away - these magnificent buildings hosted some of the great cantors of the twentieth century. Most of these synagogues were either demolished or transformed into mosques, churches and schools. David will take us on a visual tour of the changed UK synagogues.
