| AdminHistory | The Synagogue Guild was set up in 1950. It began life as an independent committee, but later became a sub-Committee of the Council of the Hebrew Congregation, which gave it a small grant. From 1950, there are reports about the Guild's activities in the Birmingham Hebrew Congregation Yearbooks (JA/2/G/2).
The aims of the Guild are discussed in its early meetings. It aimed to 'embrace all those who are vitally concerned with the preservation of a stronger Jewish life in the community and will seek every means open to it to enrich the content of our religious and communal activities', 'to bring more people into the sphere of the Synagogue' and 'to create a greater interest in the Synagogue and ....open the way for members of the community to take a broader interest in Jewish Religion and Way of Life'. At first, membership of the Guild was restricted to members of Singers Hill, but it was later extended to include any Jews, including those who did not attend synagogue.
The Guild was run by an elected Committee and several sub-Committees, responsible for the Constitution, the programme of events, catering, and publicity.
The first programme of activities organized by the Guild was a series of monthly meetings, which included Succoth Celebrations; a Chanukah Ball; a Purim Concert; a Jewish Film Show; and a Shavuoth Open Air Service. A monthly study and discussion group and a Saturday afternoon service were also organized. Subjects of lectures and seminars covered Jewish history, religion, and ethics, including: 'God: what is he and how does he act?', 'The Jewish Teaching on the Messiah', 'The Torah: is it divine or man-made?', 'Some Ideas on Life After Death', 'Movements in Jewish history', and 'Excerpts from Jewish literature'.
The events organized by the Guild were generally well attended in the 1950s, but by 1964, the minutes of the last meeting in the minute book show that there was concern that the Guild was becoming too dependent on a few stalwarts and their friends, and was not reaching the wider community as had been originally intended. The Committee no longer exists. |