Words by Simon Rothstein
Pictures by Ashley Jay Brent Photography (ajbrent.com / visualsbyash.com)
Southend and District Reform Synagogue (SDRS) marked its 80th anniversary with a Shabbat service on Saturday 24 October, exactly 80 years after the community was founded. The occasion brought together synagogue members, civic leaders and guests from across the Jewish community to celebrate eight decades of Jewish life in Southend.
Among those attending were Southend East MP Bayo Alaba, Southend West MP David Burton-Sampson, Southend Council Leader Daniel Cowan, Councillor Donna Richardson, and representatives from the police, Jewish Joint Burial Society, Jewish Care and other local synagogues.
Chair Lewis Miller and the current SDRS Council were joined by past Chairs Sue Levitas and Fern Potter. Ninety-nine-year-old Synagogue President Irene Klyman, whose parents were among the founding members, took part via Zoom.
The service was led by Rabbi Warren Elf MBE, who has worked with the community since 2001, with the sermon delivered by Rabbi Josh Levy, Co-Lead of The Movement for Progressive Judaism.
Rabbi Warren said: “It was a pleasure to lead our 80th anniversary Shabbat morning service, which was a true celebration. It was wonderful to host both of Southend’s MPs, the leader of the city council and our other guests from religious and civic life.
“I have enjoyed working with this special community for 25 years and hope to continue for a few more!”
Rabbi Josh’s sermon, which can be read here, centred on a teaching traditionally attributed to the sage Yehudah ben Tema: “Ben shmonim ligvurah”, meaning “The age of 80 for strength”.
He explored what strength means for a community, and how it lies not only in resilience and an ability to overcome challenges, but in the pursuit of justice, peace, equality and making the world a better place.
Rabbi Josh presented the community with a certificate of recognition and concluded: “May 80 be a year of special strength for you – may this community always have the strength to keep safe, the strength to persevere, and most of all the strength to be a beacon of Progressive Jewish values in Southend and beyond.”
Southend Council Leader Daniel Cowan praised the synagogue’s contribution to the city over eight decades.
Reflecting on Rabbi Josh’s “thoughtful and moving sermon”, he said: “The strength of a community is found in its people. In the friendships built across generations, the traditions passed from parents to children, and the determination to preserve identity, faith and belonging through changing times.
“Eighty years is more than a milestone. It is a testament to the resilience of a community that has continued to grow, support one another and enrich our city.”
The community began as Southend Liberal Synagogue in Leigh-on-Sea in October 1946, when a group of local Jews came together to establish a Jewish community to meet their religious needs. Initially meeting and praying in one another’s homes, the group began holding weekly Shabbat services in a hall above shops in Leigh Road in 1947.
The synagogue moved to its present building in Westcliff-on-Sea in 1961 and became known as Southend Progressive Synagogue. In 1972, following a decision to move from Liberal to Reform Judaism, it adopted its current name, Southend and District Reform Synagogue. Today, it is a member of the newly united Movement for Progressive Judaism.
The anniversary service was part of a series of events taking place throughout the year, culminating in a musical gala evening in November.
