The five remaining active members of Newport Hebrew Congregation held a kiddush on Monday to mark the handover of two sifrei Torah to a new Israeli community.

Accepting the scrolls, Joel and Miriam Jacobs from the Lechu Neranana congregation in Modiin presented the Newport congregation with a commemorative plaque. “We want to thank you for helping us to start our community,” Mr Jacobs said.

Harry Poloway, 97, Newport’s oldest member, was “very pleased we are letting our sifrei Torah go to a community where they will be used.”

The Newport members decided to donate two of their three scrolls because of the congregation’s diminished numbers and activity.

Although there are officially around two dozen members, younger families have moved out of Newport and do not attend the occasional services.