Photographs relating to Nathan Harris of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, Newport, August 1918

Description

The first image shows Captain Nathan Harris of Royal Welch Fusiliers of Newport Mon Hebrew Congregation. He fought and gave his life in the First World War. A Newport Hebrew School and Social Hall, which opened on 22 June 1922 on Queen's Hill Crescent, was named after him: 'Nathan Harris Memorial Hall'. The building was converted into a synagogue in the 1930 upon closure of the Francis St. Synagogue. The second image show a plaque erected at the opening of the memorial hall.

Newport Monmouthshire Hebrew Congregation was founded in 1859 by orthodox Jews meeting at a temporary synagogue in Llanarth Street. A synagogue at Francis Street was opened in 1869 and consecrated by the Chief Rabbi Dr Herman Adler in 1871. In 1934 the congregation moved to the Nathan Harris Memorial Hall in Queen’s Hill which was converted to a synagogue. In 1997 this synagogue was closed, and the congregation moved to the Prayer House by the Jewish Burial Ground on Risca Road. Within 20 years the congregation had dwindled to a few members able to attend and this too had ceased to hold services.

Sources:
“History of our Shul. The First Hundred Years", published by Newport Congregation in 1959;
Oral history interviews with members of the Newport Mon Hebrew Congregation, recorded in 2018 by JHASW.

Depository: Gwent Archives.