West London Synagogue
| West London Synagogue on Upper Berkeley Street | |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | 34 Upper Berkeley Street, London W1H 5AU, England, United Kingdom |
| Affiliation | Movement for Reform Judaism |
| Municipality | City of Westminster |
| Year consecrated | 1870 |
| Status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II listed |
| Leadership | Senior Rabbi: Baroness Julia Neuberger President: Stephen Moss CBE. Chairman: Jill Todd |
| Website | www |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Davis & Emmanuel (original synagogue); Mewes & Davis (additional administrative building in Seymour Place); Julian Sofaer (Seymour Place extension) |
| Architectural style | Neo-Byzantine |
| Completed | 1870 (synagogue); 1933–34 (Seymour Place building; extended in 1964 and 1973) |
| Designations | |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Official name | West London Synagogue |
| Designated | 7 September 1989 |
| Reference no. | 1247701 |
The West London Synagogue of British Jews, abbreviated WLS (Hebrew: ק"ק שער ציון, Kahal Kadosh Sha'ar Tziyon, "Holy Congregation Gate of Zion"), is a Reform synagogue and congregation near Marble Arch in London. It was established on 15 April 1840. The current synagogue building in Upper Berkeley Street, dedicated in 1870, is Grade II listed. It is the oldest house of prayer affiliated with the Movement for Reform Judaism and is one of the oldest synagogues in the United Kingdom.
On 15 April 1840, 24 members of the Mocatta, Goldsmid and other families announced their secession from their respective congregations, the Sephardi Bevis Marks Synagogue and the Ashkenazi Great Synagogue of London, and their intention to form a prayer group for neither "German nor Portuguese" but for "British Jews", which would allow them to worship together. The Mocattas and Goldsmids were quarrelling with the wardens and complaining over lack of decorum for years. The new prayer group, convening in Burton Street, hired Reverend David Woolf Marks in March 1841. Marks and the congregation adopted a unique, bibliocentric approach often termed "neo-Karaism" by their critics, largely rejecting the authority of the Oral Torah. They abolished the second day of festivals and excised various prayers grounded in rabbinic tradition. It was only after almost a century that the congregation adopted mainstream Reform Judaism.
On 27 January 1842, the West London Synagogue of British Jews was consecrated in its first permanent building, at Burton Street Chapel. By 1848, it had become too crowded for the congregation. A new location was found, in Margaret Street, Cavendish Square, at a cost of £5,000. It was dedicated on 25 January 1849. In 1867, a new location was required again. Eventually, the current synagogue building in Upper Berkeley Street was opened on 22 September 1870. It cost £20,000 and had capacity for 1,000 congregants at the time.
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