24th May 2012

WEYMOUTH: Jewish community to be revived in Weymouth

By Harry Walton

PLANS are being made to set up the first centre for Weymouth and Portland’s Jewish community since the Second World War.

Temporary synagogues were arranged at nearby wartime military bases but there has been nothing like it for nearly 70 years.

Now Lord Morris Mendoza of the Studio Guesthouse on Dorchester Road, who lost most of his family in the Holocaust, plans to change all that.

He said: “We celebrated the Festival of Passover here with 17 local Jews and the feeling was that we needed a local centre for the Jewish community in the South Dorset area.

“We don’t want a synagogue because we feel it would be too Jewish! What we do want is somewhere to meet and socialise and a place where our Jewish relatives and friends can come and socialise as well.

“I plan to use my guesthouse as the basis of such a centre and I also have support for this from Olympic leaders who have said how nice it will be to have somewhere for Jewish Olympic athletes and officials to go and relax.

“Many will be coming from Florida and others from France and Germany and right across Europe.

“Pig on a plate will not be offered but smoked salmon and our own free range eggs will be because we are strictly vegetarian and fish is an exception.”

Lord Mendoza added that the guesthouse has a large secluded rear garden complete with marquee which can cater for 60 people which would provide a facilty for both small and large gatherings of Jewish people and their friends.

He said: “I envisage doing a number of barbecues with an occasional abbreviated Friday night religious service.

“This is the Jurassic Coast and this area has the oldest synagogues in the country, so it is perhaps fitting that a Jewish community is being revived in Weymouth because such communities no longer live in big cities and towns.

“I believe that Weymouth has a great future as a forward thinking town. It has so many natural assets that appeal to sensible people with some of the most beautiful architecture you could wish to see while Portland has such a sense of atmosphere.

“A Jewish community will thrive in such surroundings. We have made a start and we will build on that.”

Anyone who would like more information should contact Lord Mendoza on 01305-782133.

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