North Western Reform Synagogue

North Western Reform Synagogue
North Western Reform Synagogue
Religion
Affiliation	Reform Judaism
Leadership	Clergy: Rabbi Josh Levy, Rabbi Hannah Kingston, Cantor Tamara Wolfson, Rabbi Elliott Karstadt
Status	Active
Location
Location	Alyth Gardens, Temple Fortune, London Borough of Barnet
Architecture
Completed	1936 (original synagogue), 1958 (Leo Baeck Centre), 2004 (social spaces and kindergarten)
Website
	www.alyth.org.uk

North Western Reform Synagogue (usually known as Alyth,^[1] although Alyth is strictly speaking the name of the Jewish community that was founded in 1933; the synagogue is Alyth Shul) at Temple Fortune in north west London. The synagogue was built in Alyth Gardens in 1936, on land carved out from the West London Synagogue’s cemetery in Hoop Lane.^[2] Alyth is one of the largest Reform synagogues in the United Kingdom. It has around 2500 adult and 1000 child members. In 2021 its members approved a £6 million upgrade to the synagogue building.^[3]

Rabbis and Cantors[]

Alyth's clergy team is Rabbi Josh Levy (since 2008), Rabbi Hannah Kingston (since 2017), Cantor Tamara Wolfson (since 2020) and Rabbi Elliott Karstadt (since 2020)

The synagogue's Rabbis and Cantors have been:^[2]

1933–38 Rabbi Solomon Starrels
1938–42 Rev. Maurice Perlzweig, who had been elected chair of the World Union of Jewish Students in 1933 and had helped to create the World Jewish Congress
1942–43 Rev. Vivian Simmons, on secondment from West London Synagogue
1943–58 Rabbi Dr Werner van der Zyl, who became founder and president of Leo Baeck College^[2]
1958–72 Rev. Philip Cohen
1972–83 Rabbi Dow Marmur
1983–2003 Rabbi Charles Emanuel
2003–11 Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, later to become Senior Rabbi at the Movement for Reform Judaism^[4]
2006–19 Rabbi Mark Goldsmith, who became Senior Rabbi at Edgware & Hendon Reform Synagogue in 2019
2008– Rabbi Josh Levy
2015– Rabbi Colin Eimer
2017– Rabbi Hannah Kingston
2020– Cantor Tamara Wolfson
2020– Rabbi Elliott Karstadt