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Sheerness Heritage Centre Rose St |
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THE PAST RECREATED |
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We welcome your comments,good or bad,in our Guest Book The Jewish Community in Bluetown and Sheerness
The Rise of Provincial Jewry - Sheerness by Cecil Roth, 1950 from the Susser Archives "The invaluable Jewish Chronicle account of a century ago states that the Sheerness congregation was established about the year 1790, Isaac and Samuel Abrahams being the principal founders. Of the former, who had apparently come from Chatham, we know that he was a subscriber to the Jews' Hospital in 1808, and that his two sons, Abraham and Meir (known in the synagogue as "the sons of Isaac Chatham, of Sheerness") were admitted members of the Great Synagogue in 1807 and 1810 respectively. Solomon Moses, founder of the Jewish community of Goulburn, (Australia) was born at Sheerness in 1800, his parents being Simon and Caroline Moses. The port attained its greatest importance during the Napoleonic Wars; and its Jewish community developed pari passu. From the Navy List of 1816, it is possible to reconstruct a good part of its membership roll, the following names occurring among the licensed navy agents for petty officers and seamen: Joseph Aaron, Levy Alexander, Samuel Abrahams, Hyam Abrahams, Henry Abrahams, Benjamin Foreman (?), Abraham Moss, Samuel Solomon, and Sam. Solomon. (Levy Alexander was a kinsman of the late D. L. Alexander, President of the Board of Deputies, whose father Joshua Levy was left a fortune on condition that he changed his surname). In 1811 a new synagogue was built. In The Star of May (?) 12th of that year we read: "On Friday last a new Synagogue was consecrated at Sheerness, which was very numerously attended, and the service performed by Messers Leos and Phillips, who went from London for that purpose. The music was composed by one of the Mes. Leos, and was perhaps as grand as has been witnessed, as Mr. Leo led the band in a most excellent manner. Several persons of distinction were admitted to see the ceremony performed." This gives a very exaggerated account, I fear, of the Synagogue, which was situated in Blue Town between Sheppey Street and Kent Street, and according to report was a simple wooden structure. And it is perhaps significant that the Reader who came down to officiate was not attached to one of the larger London communities, but to the struggling Westminster Congregation in Denmark Court. Little about the history of the Synagogue is known--unlike its predecessor, which had come into the news once in 1810, the service being disturbed when a wild cat was thrown through the window and a reward of no less than 20 guineas was offered for the discovery of the perpetrator of the outrage. The cemetery was at the rear of what is now 61 High Street. (The title-deeds were exhibited by Dr. Adler at the Anglo-Jewish Historical Exhibition of 1887, but I have been unable to trace them). It is a tiny plot, in which only eleven stones are now visible. The earliest legible is that of Hannah Moses, who died in 1804 aged 15 (?). This cemetery was in use until 1855; afterwards, from 1859 onwards, use was made of a Jewish plot in the Isle of Sheppey Cemetery. The Hazan in 1816 was Abraham ben R. Judah Leib, who in that year witnessed the marriage contract between Sarah Myers (daughter of Joel Myers of Maldon, for whom see p.19) and Hyam Abrahams of Sheerness brother of the Abraham Abrahams and Myer Abrahams mentioned above. According to a record of the London Beth-Din in my possession, that body had its attention drawn in 1812 to an unseemly episode which had taken place in Sheerness. One Friday, a number of members of the community had gone aboard a man-o'-war in order to collect their debts. Since they could not finish before nightfall, most of them went ashore again. But they returned next day, on the Sabbath: and, once on board, they sold merchandise to the crew, and settled up with them, and even wrote down their accounts. The learned Dayanim imposed suitable spiritual penalties--even on those who had remained aboard overnight, as their intentions had not been pure, even though their actions may have been within the bounds of Rabbinic permissibility.
The entrance to the Jewish Cemetery in Hope St It is not always well looked after
However sometimes local people do manage to clear the site and tidy it up
The Sheerness community began to decline with the close of the Napoleonic Wars. Ten out of the 47 Jews residing in Glasgow in 1831 were natives of Sheerness; and when in about 1841 the Synagogue was restored only five Jewish families were left and an outside appeal for help had to be made. At this time, the Secretary of the congregation was M. Abrahams; the Hazan from 1837 was a Mr. J. Benjamin, who in 1844 left to take up a similar position in Liverpool; and the Wardens were Isaac Jacobs and Moses Abrahams. In 1850, A. Abrahams (d. 1892) emigrated to Adelaide, where he played a prominent part in communal life. In 1853, there were fifteen seat-holders, and the President was John Jacobs (probably Isaac Jacobs' son). By the end of the century, the Congregation was in full decay. In about 1887, the Synagogue was in such a deplorable condition that, on the advice of the Chief Rabbi, it was dismantled: but it remained standing until about 1935, when it was pulled down. The last Trustees were G. M. Abrahams and M. Russell, who died between 1890 and 1900; thereafter, interest in the affairs was taken only by W. Telfer Leviansky, a well-known London solicitor and communal worker, on behalf of the estate of a Mrs. Jacobs, widow of a former trustee. Some of the appurtenances were sent to the Stroud congregation--itself now extinct--and others to the Norwood Jewish Orphanage; the Candelabrum for Hanukah, of a type common in English synagogues, went to the Mocatta Museum, London. The most distinguished scion of the Sheerness community was Henry Russell* (originally Levy), the song-composer, whose Cheer, Boys, Cheer and Life on the Ocean Wave are still popular English songs. He was father of William Clarke Russell, famous as author of sea-novels and biographies, of Sir Herbert Russell the war-correspondent, and of Sir Landon Ronald the composer. * The Rev. M. Rosenbaum suggested that he may have belonged to the Raphael family, which supplied beadles to the Western Synagogue for three generations: several of the Russells were members of this Congregation."
Simon Magnus had the present Chatham memorial synagogue built as a memorial to his son, Captain Lazarus Simon Magnus. It was formally opened and consecrated in 1869. Captain Lazarus Magnus was a highly respected man, active in local and communal affairs. He was a captain in the 4th. Kent Artillary Volunteers, a member of the Board of Management of the Chatham Synagogue, a director of the Chatham Railway and a Mayor of Queenborough, a town on the Isle of Sheppey (apparently as a mark of gratitude for his having been instrumental in bringing the railway to Sheerness and Queenborough). In fact he was the first Jewish mayor of any municipality in the United Kingdom. He died accidentally, at the early age of thirty nine years, when he was still unmarried,from using too much chloroform to cure a toothache.
Memorial to Captain Magnus in the garden of the Synagogue at Chatham
Text of a speech given by Irina Shub at the Civic Service on 16th March commemorating Lazarus Magnus being elected for the first time as Mayor of Queenborough. It took place in the Chatham Memorial Synagogue in the presence of the Mayors of Medway Queeborough and Ramsgate
The inscription reads; Captain Lazarus Simon Magnus 4th Kent Artillery Volunteers late Mayor of Queenborough who died (9thTebeth 5625) 7th January 1865 Aged 39 years
Lazarus Simon Magnus (1824-1865) Speech given during the Civic Service, commemorating 150 anniversary of his election as the Mayor of Queenborough Lazarus Simon was born in The only son and the firstborn child of a successful merchant, Lazarus was educated in the well established Lazarus Simon Magnus was an outstanding representative of that sector. He was a forceful example of how to combine and harmonise Judaism with Englishness. His major strength was his talent for public work. He was a successful businessman, whose main aim in every project he took part in was the promotion of the public interest. During his short, but intense life – he died when only 39 years old; he managed to achieve so much, that it’s rare to find someone of the same age repeating his success today. Magnus was esteemed as a conscientious and enlightened magistrate; he was also a promoter and Director of the Lodging House for Poor Jews, and generally known to be a very generous, hospitable and charitable man. He was involved in the North Atlantic Telegraph project, and was lobbying for a new telegraph route to connect Magnus was a personal friend of Brunel – one of the most versatile and audacious engineers of the 19th century, responsible for the design of tunnels, bridges, railway lines and ships. In 1858, picking up a Brunel project, which was on the point of collapse due to a financial crisis approaching bankruptcy, it was Lazarus Magnus, who was instrumental in re-organizing the Great Eastern Ship Company and in bringing the project to completion. The Great Eastern – a giant steam ship was not to be equaled in size for another 50 years. You may be interested to know, a couple of years earlier, in connection with an important project much nearer to home, it was Lazarus Magnus, who became involved. when the Sittingbourne and Sheerness Railway Company became incorporated by an Act of Parliament in June 1856, he became the Vice-Chairman of the Company. In spite of the world-wide financial crisis that hit England among other countries in summer 1857, it was his drive and energy that pushed the project ahead. His belief in the usefulness and enormous benefits that the railway line could bring to the people of Queenborough, connecting Sheerness with Woolwich, Deptford, Portsmouth, and the whole of the south coast from Margate to Weymouth, inspired him in his struggle against robust opposition – there were doubts whether there was enough money to finish the line, whether the line was ever going to make any profit…But as he said at the opening ceremony on the 18th July 1860 with terrific optimism: “Whether we do or we don’t have money, we definitely have the line!” Lazarus Magnus remained the Vice-Chairman of the Sittingbourne and Sheerness Railway Company until his death. And one of the first steam engines used on that line bore his name “Magnus”. Yet another important project found him as the Chairman of the Buenos Ayres and San Francisco Railway Company. In spite of what some cynics may say today, Magnus was one of those, who fervently believed in the advantages that spring from the English municipal system, which he considered to be the foundation of English liberties. His involvement in public welfare was rewarded in 1858, when he was unanimously elected to the Office of Mayor of Queenborough. His success in office was such, that he was re-elected a year later, and for the third time in 1862. Going back a little bit, on the 12 of May 1859 due to nationwide scare over the possibility of war with France, the War Office gave sanction for the formatting of volunteer corps out of concern for home defence. Lazarus Simon took up this call – an early version of Dad’s Army, perhaps! Hopefully minus the laughs - and on the 29 November 1859 the 4th Corps of the 1st Brigade of the Kent Voluntary Artillery was formed. The target was 30 names: in fact 64 got to sign up. The same day he was proposed for and accepted the office of the Captain. Lazarus Magnus proved to be a caring and generous leader, much respected by the volunteers. And just the opposite to Captain Manwaring, Captain Magnus played the major part in bringing the Corps to efficiency, which was commended on various occasions. He was the leading force behind this Corps, and his tragic death in 1865 fatally affected the Corps – in January 1867 it was merged with the 13th Corps as their 3rd battalion. In 1860 he became a member of the committee of the so named New Gas Company at Chatham. As we can see then his commercial main interests were threefold: communication, transport and energy. On Friday 7 January 1865, Magnus developed a toothache. Despite an invitation from his brother-in-law to stay with him and his family Lazarus went back to his offices in London Bridge. He exchanged greetings with the housekeeper and asked her about the best remedy to the problem. The housekeeper suggested some laudanum on a piece of lint, but Magnus replied: “That is no use. I will try chloroform.” Unfortunately, this was a fatal mistake, that cost him his life - he died from inhaling too much of it. The local newspapers record that during the funeral many shops closed their shutters for the day out of respect to Lazarus Magnus. A year later during the stone-setting ceremony Rev. Prof. Marks, the minister of the West London Synagogue, in his speech suggested that Lazarus Simon Magnus should be commemorated by building a synagogue, which would serve 2 purposes – it would be a permanent place of worship for the Jews in the area – a symbol of stability and settlement in this country, and secondly – it would improve and enhance the facade of this part of the High Street. Throughout his life Magnus acted according to his name – grand and noble, great in reputation and authority, distinguished and skilled, of bold and generous spirit. In his will Lazarus Simon Magnus left legacies to 10 different charities. But I believe, and I think you will agree with me, his greatest, permanent, eternal legacy is the railway which many thousands of people use today, and which connects the Isle of Sheppey with the whole of the south coast. And the Sheppey Crossing, the high-speed carriageway which opened in July 2006, is only a continuation of his pioneering achievement. by Irina Shub March 2008
One of the headstones in the Jewish section of the Halfway Cemetery See Churches used and disused to see photos of the Jewish headstones in the Jewish cemeteries in Sheerness and Halfway and the site of the Synagogue in Bluetown
For help reading Jewish headstones see http://www.thorngent.eclipse.co.uk/susser/TR.pdf
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