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This image, above, dates from January 1955 and depicts the opening ceremony and consecration of the newly constructed Cardiff United synagogue in Ty Gwyn Road, Penylan. Featured in the photograph are brothers Harry and Abraham Sherman, centre and left, two local philanthropists who funded the construction of Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre, and the synagogue’s president, Gershon Cohen.

Judaism has a long and interesting history in Wales, one that stretches as far back as 1768 when the first organised Jewish community was established in Swansea by German-Jewish immigrants.

They were followed by an influx of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who came to Wales to seek economic opportunities and or/to escape persecution.

Jewish immigrants settled throughout Wales, establishing small Orthodox Hebrew congregations in towns and cities such as Bangor, Llandudno, Llanelli, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport and Wrexham. Wales’ Jewish population peaked at around 5,000 individuals in 1920, comprising primarily of Eastern European migrants. They were soon joined by a small number of Jewish refugees from Nazi-dominated Europe, who sought a safe haven in Wales in the 1930s and 1940s.

With a Jewish population of 3,000 Jewish individuals at its peak in the 1950s, Cardiff has long been the Jewish metropolis of Wales. At the time of this photograph, the city’s Jewish community boasted two Orthodox synagogues—Ty Gwyn Road and Cathedral Road—, a Reform synagogue in Adamsdown and several kosher shops.

All that remains today sadly is the Reform synagogue and a new smaller Orthodox synagogue in Cyncoed Gardens. Penylan’s synagogue closed in 2003 owing to both the community’s numerical decline and insufficient funds to cover its upkeep. According to one former congregant, it became “too large” for the dwindling congregation.

The numerical decline of Cardiff Jewry mirrored that of other Jewish communities in Wales. It was caused by a number of complex factors, including an aging population; emigration, as the younger generations moved away to university, either in search of employment, and/or to find a Jewish partner; families relocating to cities with a larger Jewish infrastructure such as London; and intermarriage.

The opening of the Penylan synagogue in 1955 symbolised a time of hope and progress for Cardiff Jewry. Despite dwindling numbers, Jews continue to live, work and worship in the capital and now number around 800 individuals. According to the 2011 census, approximately 2,064 Jews live in Wales and call the principality home.

Cai Parry-Jones: "I am a Welsh-speaking Cardiff-born historian. I was awarded a doctorate in History from Bangor University in 2014 and I now work in academic publishing. I have a great interest in the histories and cultures of minority groups and I am currently in the process of turning my PhD thesis on the modern history of Jewish individuals and communities in Wales into a book."