Federation of Synagogues facts for kids

The Federation of Synagogues is a Jewish organization in the United Kingdom. Its main office is in Hendon, London. It connects many Jewish communities and synagogues (Jewish places of worship). Currently, it includes 19 member communities and seven others that are linked to it.

Besides supporting its member synagogues, the Federation does other important things. It has a special Jewish court called a beis din. It also runs a Burial Society, which helps with Jewish funerals and burials. Plus, it has an organization that checks and approves Kosher food. This means they make sure food follows Jewish dietary laws. They give licenses for kosher catering and certify products both in the UK and other countries.

The Federation's Beis Din has special judges called dayonim. These judges are respected experts in Jewish law. People can ask them questions about halachic matters (Jewish law). This court also handles civil cases and family matters, like marriages.

The current chief rabbi of the Federation's court is Rabbi Shraga Feivel Zimmerman.

History of the Federation

The Federation of Synagogues started in 1887. It was mainly created because of Samuel Montagu, who was a Member of Parliament and a successful banker. He was a very religious and generous person. Montagu saw that many small Jewish groups and prayer houses had grown in London's East End. This happened because many Jewish people came to the UK to escape unfair treatment in Russia.

The new arrivals and the Jewish people already living in England had some disagreements. The immigrants wondered if the English Jews were truly following traditional Jewish ways. The English Jews, who were often richer, sometimes looked down on the newcomers. Even though the immigrants were now the majority, they didn't have much say in community matters.

About 50 years later, a famous Jewish historian named Cecil Roth wrote about the Federation. He said it was "amongst the greatest and most generous Jewish religious organisations in the world." He also noted that it strongly believed in traditional values and supported Jewish causes.

More recently, another historian, Geoffrey Alderman, said the Federation has grown a lot. He mentioned it's doing much better now than in 1987. It has new growth in London and Manchester. He also said its Beis Din (Jewish court) is one of the most respected in Europe. Samuel Montagu's idea for the Federation was to offer central services to small communities. These communities wanted to stay independent but still get support from a larger Jewish group. Alderman says this is exactly what is happening today. Younger generations prefer smaller, cozier synagogues where they can be more involved.

Leaders of the Federation

Here is a list of the presidents who have led the Federation of Synagogues over the years:

• 1887: Nathan Rothschild
• 1888: Samuel Montagu
• 1911: Louis Montagu
• 1928: Morry Davis
• 1945: Aaron Wright
• 1948: Jack Goldberg
• 1951: Morris Lederman
• 1989: Arnold Cohen
• 2001: Alan Finlay
• 2014: Andrew Cohen

Working with the Government

The Federation of Synagogues has sometimes worked with the UK government on important issues.

In 1946, Rabbi Dr Yaacov Kopul Rosen spoke for the Federation. He gave a speech to the Anglo-American Commission of Inquiry on Palestine. He asked them not to "play politics with the remnants of the Jewish people." This was about the future of Jewish people after World War II.

In 2019, the Federation contacted the UK government again. This time, it was about religious schools and whether boys and girls should be taught separately. The Federation wrote to the Education Secretary, Damian Hinds. They stated that "Under no circumstances will Charedi schools dilute their passionately held beliefs." This showed their strong commitment to their religious traditions.