Montefiore Synagogue

Sir Moses Montefiore first came to Ramsgate in 1812 on his honeymoon with his wife Judith Cohen, sister-in-law to Nathan Rothschild. Ramsgate had had a small Jewish community since 1786. The synagogue was in the European tradition of great men having private chapels on their estates. Sir Moses Montefiore had the synagogue built immediately upon purchasing East Cliff Lodge in 1831. On the day the building was dedicated, Montefiore fulfilled the Jewish custom of marking such an occasion by giving charity to the poor by giving money to be distributed by the priests of the two neighbouring Church of England parishes. East Cliff Lodge was demolished in 1954. The grounds are now the King George…

The building is set on a knoll that, in Montefiore's day, overlooked extensive gardens. The building was the first purpose-built synagogue in Britain designed by a Jewish architect. The stucco-covered masonry building is rectangular with canted corners and a semicircular apse to accommodate the Torah Ark. The small vestibule contains the stairway of the women's gallery. The façade features a clock, which is the only example in an English synagogue. The clock bears the motto, Time flies, virtue alone remains. The Montefiore coat of arms was a later addition to the façade. The synagogue is illuminated by candles in the original chandeliers. The gallery is curtained by an old-fashioned, tall…