Montefiore Synagogue

About Montefiore Synagogue

The Montefiore Synagogue is the former private synagogue of Sir Moses Montefiore. It is an 1833, Grade II* listed building in Ramsgate, Kent, England. The Synagogue and Mausoleum are cared for and maintained by the Montefiore Endowment. The Endowment also maintains the nearby Ramsgate Jewish Cemetery. HistorySir Moses Montefiore first came to Ramsgate in 1812 on his honeymoon with his wife Judith Cohen, sister-in-law to Nathan Rothschild. Ramsgate had had a small Jewish Community since 1786. The synagogue was in the European tradition of great men having private chapels on their estates. Sir Moses Montefiore had the synagogue built immediately upon purchasing East Cliff Lodge in 1831. On the day the building was dedicated, Montefiore fulfilled the Jewish custom of marking such an occasion by giving charity to the poor by giving money to be distributed by the priests of the two neighbouring Church of England parishes. David Mocatta, a cousin, was hired to design the Synagogue. Mocatta estimated the cost at between £1, 500 and £1, 600 exclusive of the interior which was to cost from £300 to £400. The foundation stone was laid on the New Moon of Tammuz 5691 or 9 August 1831. In 1869, Sir Moses founded the Lady Judith Montefiore Theological College (Yeshivah). This was located to the rear of the Synagogue, it was demolished in 1965. The work of the college is continued today in London and is run by the Montefiore Endowment. The site of the college is now owned by Ramsgate Town Council and maintained by volunteers as a dedicated woodland.