Photograph of the Roll of Honour of Newport Hebrew Congregation in World War Two 1939-1945, Newport, 1939-1945

Description

The Roll of Honour was formerly displayed in the Queen's Hill Crescent Synagogue and was moved to the Risca Road Synagogue when the former closed. It is a large varnished wooden plaque, slightly curved at its top edge, and with a Star of David at top centre. The plaque lists all those Jews from the Newport area who served in World War 2, and splits into two sections, those who died and those who survived. Both sets of names are listed in two columns.

Newport Monmouthshire Hebrew Congregation was founded in 1859 by orthodox Jews meeting at a temporary synagogue in Llanarth Street. A synagogue at Francis Street was opened in 1869 and consecrated by the Chief Rabbi Dr Herman Adler in 1871. In 1934 the congregation moved to the Nathan Harris Memorial Hall in Queen’s Hill which was converted to a synagogue. In 1997 this synagogue was closed, and the congregation moved to the Prayer House by the Jewish Burial Ground on Risca Road. Within 20 years the congregation had dwindled to a few members able to attend and this too had ceased to hold services.

Sources:
“History of our Shul. The First Hundred Years", published by Newport Congregation in 1959;
Oral history interviews with members of the Newport Mon Hebrew Congregation, recorded in 2018 by JHASW.

Depository: Gwent Archives.