Minutes of the annual general meeting of the Cardiff New Synagogue Ladies' Guild 13 May 1986, Cardiff

Disgrifiad

Minutes of the annual general meeting of the Cardiff New Synagogue Ladies' Guild held on 13 May 1986 in Cardiff. The minutes refer to a Chairman's Report for the previous year (which is missing). The minutes record a significant increase in the Guild's financial contribution to the Synagogue, which was due to the "great success of the Caerphilly Castle evening". The minutes cover a number of other matters, including the lack of volunteers for the Guild's committee roles. In light of the difficulty in filling these roles, the Guild proposed to ask the Synagogue Council to assist with the Guild's functions and to support them with their fund-raising meetings. The minutes are included in a Cardiff New Synagogue Ladies' Guild Minute Book, 1979-1990.

The Cardiff New Synagogue Ladies' Guild, a women-only volunteer group, was established in 1950. The ladies of the Guild organised religious, fund raising and social activities for the Synagogue - from the annual garden parties, to the food of festivals and to talks held in members' homes, as well as acts of tzedakah (justice or charity) and community welfare. The Ladies' Guild ceased to exist in 1986. In its place, a new guild formed that was open to both men and women, which focussed more on fundraising for the Synagogue.

The Cardiff Reform Synagogue was founded in 1948 as the Cardiff New Synagogue. The following year, it became a constituent member of the Movement for Reform Judaism. Born in reaction against the more restrictive traditions of the Orthodox Judaism of Cardiff Hebrew Congregation, such as the prohibition of driving on the Sabbath and the ban on interfaith marriages, the new Synagogue appealed to immigrants who had fled war-torn Europe, where the Reform movement was already well-established. The congregation worships in a converted Methodist Chapel on Moira Terrace, acquired in 1952.

Sources:
'The History of the Jewish Diaspora in Wales' by Cai Parry-Jones (http://e.bangor.ac.uk/4987);
JCR-UK/JewishGen (https://www.jewishgen.org/jcr-uk/Community/card1/index.htm).

Depository: Glamorgan Archives.