History
Jews have resided in Brighton since the second half of the 18th century. The city’s first synagogue is thought to have opened around 1792 on Jew Street, which derives its name from the shul’s presence. According to the Brighton Herald, there were nine adult male Jews in the city in 1813, and the local population steadily increased over the following decades. At the turn of the century, the Jewish Yearbook reported 80 families in Brighton, which rose to 350 by 1923. Today, local communal leaders say that the Jewish community comprises around 3,000 people.
As the population grew, so did the Jewish infrastructure. Synagogues came and went (see below), as did Jewish schools; eight different boarding schools existed for Jewish students between 1874 and 1967. Throughout the 20th century, the city also developed Jewish welfare organisations, including for refugees, orphans, and the elderly; Jewish cultural societies for literature, theatre, and sports; and Israeli and Zionist representative institutions. There are three Jewish cemeteries in Brighton & Hove, the earliest of which opened in 1826.
Palmeira Square is a point of particular interest for Jews in Brighton, from both a historic and contemporary perspective. It is named after Sir Isaac Goldsmid, a Jewish financier instrumental in the 19th century Jewish emancipation in the UK, who was titled “Baron da Palmeira” by the Queen of Portugal in 1845. More recently, it has hosted the city’s October 7 memorial, which was vandalised on multiple occasions, and also served as the starting point for the city’s weekly pro-Palestine rallies. The memorial now sits outside the Reform synagogue due to construction work in Palmeira Square.
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