Building updates

Update 31st October 2022

Great news – the following press release has just been issued:

New building opening is “unique step” for Anglo-Jewry

In a first for Anglo-Jewry, the Mosaic Jewish Community, which brings together three differing strands of Judaism into a single community, has opened the doors of its new home in Stanmore, north London.

Only a day after it opened, a first Bar Mitzvah was held by Mosaic Reform Synagogue, one of the three synagogues to be based there. Mosaic Reform (formerly Middlesex New Synagogue) is the first to move in. The other two are Mosaic Liberal Synagogue (formerly Harrow and Wembley Progressive Synagogue) and Mosaic Masorti Synagogue (formerly Hatch End Masorti Synagogue).

The building, which began construction in 2020, provides a new state-of –the-art home for the synagogues. Each will be able to hold services there, and come together for joint community activities. It will also provide a vibrant new social and cultural hub for a wide area of Harrow, Bushey and beyond.

Harry Grant, chairman of Mosaic Reform Synagogue, said: “Our first Bar Mitzvah and the opening represents a unique step for Anglo Jewry. With our three synagogues and four rabbis, including a dedicated development rabbi, we believe no other arrangement of this sort exists in the world. It is our way of ensuring that Jewish life can adapt and grow in new directions demanded by new generations.”

Rabbi Kathleen de Magtige-Middleton who conducted the Bar Mitzvah for Sam Landau, with a congregation of over 150, said: “ It has been a long time in the construction, but so many people have worked so hard to make this vision a reality. Not just for Sam but for the whole community this is the beginning of a new era.”

Sam’s mother, Toria Bacon added: “It is such an honour for Sam and the whole family to be a part of this historic day. It was nerve wracking but it was a wonderful and memorable day for Sam and so many others.”

Over the next few weeks all three synagogues will bring their operations together, but there are other expansion plans too.

Development rabbi, Rabbi Anna Wolfson added: “We also aim to offer new options that don’t necessarily have to fit into the three existing strands. We are open to exploring other ways in which people can exercise their Jewish choices. As a result, as well as three synagogues we have also created ‘Mosaic+’.”

With space for different services, and a religion school, which also involves nearby Kol Chai synagogue, the building, with revolutionary acoustic sliding partitions, plus the latest IT and networking capabilities is designed for maximum flexibility. There is also a hub with a children’s soft play area and café.

In its new home in Stanmore, the Mosaic Jewish Community will play a major role in enhancing inter-denominational co-operation with nearby places of worship serving many other religions. Mosaic is situated in the London Borough of Harrow, one of the capital’s most ethnically and religiously diverse localities.