Minutes of a meeting of the Cardiff New Synagogue Ladies' Guild 28 February 1961, Cardiff

Description

Minutes of a meeting of the Cardiff New Synagogue Ladies' Guild held on 28 February 1961 in Cardiff. The minutes refer to arrangements for the Purim Party (including donation of sweets and prizes for the children and booking entertainment). The minutes also deal with correspondence relating to a number of forthcoming charitable events, including a jumble sale for the Women's International Zionist Organization ("WIZO"). Finally, the minutes set out a resolution for the Guild to donate £600 to the synagogue, as well as funding some building and decoration work. The minutes are included in a Cardiff New Synagogue Ladies' Guild Minute Book, 1960-1971.

WIZO is a non-party/apolitical international movement dedicated to the advancement of the status of women, welfare for all sectors of Israeli society, and encouragement of Jewish education.

The Cardiff New Synagogue Ladies' Guild, a women-only volunteer group, was established in 1950. The ladies of the Guild organised religious, fund raising and social activities for the Synagogue - from the annual garden parties, to the food of festivals and to talks held in members' homes, as well as acts of tzedakah (justice or charity) and community welfare. The Ladies' Guild ceased to exist in 1986. In its place, a new guild formed that was open to both men and women, which focussed more on fundraising for the Synagogue.

The Cardiff Reform Synagogue was founded in 1948 as the Cardiff New Synagogue. The following year, it became a constituent member of the Movement for Reform Judaism. Born in reaction against the more restrictive traditions of the Orthodox Judaism of Cardiff Hebrew Congregation, such as the prohibition of driving on the Sabbath and the ban on interfaith marriages, the new Synagogue appealed to immigrants who had fled war-torn Europe, where the Reform movement was already well-established. The congregation worships in a converted Methodist Chapel on Moira Terrace, acquired in 1952.

Sources:
'The History of the Jewish Diaspora in Wales' by Cai Parry-Jones (http://e.bangor.ac.uk/4987);
http://www.wizo.org/who-we-are/our-vision.html;
JCR-UK/JewishGen (https://www.jewishgen.org/jcr-uk/Community/card1/index.htm).

Depository: Glamorgan Archives.