South Portland Street Synagogue in 1917.
Glasgow's first synagogue was established in 1823 in a first floor flat at 43 High Street. The synagogue moved several times in the following years until a permanent home was found in a purpose-built facility at Garnethill, consecrated in 1879.
The Jewish community in the Gorbals grew swiftly in the latter part of the 19th century and soon established its own more convenient facilities south of the river. The Chevra Torah prayer house opened in Commerce Street in 1880 and a chevra was also set up in Rutherglen Loan around this time.
By the 1890s it was clear that the various facilities in the Gorbals were not adequate and fundraising started for a purpose-built synagogue. In 1900 building work started on a site in South Portland Street and the synagogue was consecrated the following year.
Reference: PHO.G.0003
Reproduced with the permission of the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre
Keywords:
Chevrah Torah, Jews, Judaism, prayer houses, South Portland Street Synagogue, synagogues