Minutes of a meeting of Brynmawr Hebrew Congregation, Brynmawr, 14 July 1960

Disgrifiad

Minutes of a meeting of Brynmawr Hebrew Congregation, Brynmawr, 14 July 1960 (included in Brynmawr Hebrew Congregation Minute Book 1953-1960). The minutes refer to the death of the Committee's President, S. Cammerman and record an agreement to offer a reduced fee of £15 for his burial plot at the Brynmawr Jewish Cemetery. The minutes also include a discussion relating to the £50 fee charged for another burial. The committee determined that these charges were reasonable in the circumstances - primarily on the grounds that the individual had not paid any subscriptions, or otherwise contributed, to the Brynmawr congregation. The minutes also note that the new road to the cemetery was a "boon to both car drivers and pedestrians". Finally, the minutes record a request from Mr Lyons that someone else take on his role as Hon. Secretary and Treasurer as he had undertaken the responsibility for years and "had to suffer the indignities of being criticised as a dictator by members who did not even attend meetings and make their views known openly". However, as no one else would accept the position, Mr Lyons agreed to be re-elected.

The Brynmawr Hebrew Congregation was formed in 1888. Initially, services were held at the home of the then President of the congregation, Barnett Isaacs, and then later in Brynmawr Town Hall. The congregation solicited funds to build their own synagogue, which was eventually built on Bailey Street and opened in 1901. A Burial Ground was acquired by the congregation in 1919 thanks to a donation by Abel Myers of Abersychan and the plot was consecrated in Brynmawr's municipal cemetery in August 1920.

By the early 1960s the Brynmawr Hebrew Congregation had decreased to such an extent that the community was forced to stop religious services in 1963. From then onwards the small number of Jews living in Brynmawr joined the Newport Hebrew Congregation, and the synagogue in Bailey Street was eventually sold in 1966.

Sources:
- Parry-Jones, Cai, 'The History of the Jewish Diaspora in Wales' (http://e.bangor.ac.uk/4987);
- Pollins, Harold, 'The Jewish Community of Brynmawr, Wales', The Jewish Journal of Sociology, L, 1-2 (2008): jewishjournalofsociology.org/index.php/jjs/article/download/15/16.

Depository: Gwent Archives.