Sinai Synagogue, Leeds

Sinai Synagogue is a Reform Jewish congregation on Roman Avenue in Roundhay, a suburb in the north of Leeds, West Yorkshire. Founded in 1944, it is affiliated to the Movement for Reform Judaism and is still an active place of worship today.

What is Sinai Synagogue?

Sinai is a synagogue and a community at the same time: a congregation of Reform Jews that meets in a purpose-built home in Roundhay. The building combines the main synagogue hall with a function hall, a library and classrooms, so it serves as a place for worship, learning and community events. Visitors interested in the Jewish heritage of Leeds will find it one of the city's best-known Reform institutions.

When and how was the congregation founded?

The story begins in the middle of the Second World War. On 8 January 1944 a small group of six people gathered at a private house in the Oakwood area of Leeds for a service led by Rabbi L. Graf from the Reform synagogue in Bradford. Many of the early members were refugees, and the new congregation grew from that modest start.

In its first years the community had no building of its own. Services were held in borrowed rooms, among them the Friends' Meeting House on Street Lane and a schoolroom at Newton Park Union Church on Spencer Place in Chapeltown.

Where did the congregation worship before Roman Avenue?

From around 1951 until 1960 the congregation used a building at 21 Leopold Street, which had previously been the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue. Sinai bought it for £700. After the congregation left, the premises were converted into the Jinnah Mosque in 1961.

The Roman Avenue building

In 1950 a member and community leader, Malcolm Featherman, bought the plot on Roman Avenue where the synagogue now stands. The purpose-built synagogue was completed in 1960 to a Modernist design by the architects Halpern & Associates. In the mid-1980s the building was extended, which added the facilities that now surround the main hall.

Cemetery

In the early 1960s the congregation was given a burial plot at Harehills Cemetery in Leeds. It is still in use.

Practical information

• Address: Roman Avenue, Roundhay, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
• Movement: Movement for Reform Judaism.
• Founded: 1944; current building from 1960.
• Area: Roundhay, a residential suburb in north Leeds.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sinai Synagogue still active? Yes. It is a working Reform congregation with its own building, library and classrooms.

When was the current building completed? In 1960, with an extension added in the mid-1980s.

Who designed it? The Modernist building was designed by Halpern & Associates.

What happened to the earlier synagogue on Leopold Street? After Sinai moved out, it became the Jinnah Mosque in 1961.

Is the synagogue open to casual visitors? It is an active place of worship, so check the congregation's own website for opening times and visiting arrangements before you go.