Services & Facilities
Reading Hebrew Congregation
Reading Synagogue
7, Goldsmid Road, Reading
Berkshire, RG1 7YB, United Kingdom
+44 (0)118 957 3954
Services
Shabbat services are held weekly. We are always pleased to see and welcome visitors.
Friday Minchah (Afternoon) and Ma'ariv (Evening) Services are also run on a regular basis, please email us for details.
The Shabbat Shacharit (Morning) Services are followed by Kiddush in the Sir Hermann Gollancz Hall. In the autumn and
winter months the Shabbat Mincha (Afternoon) Service is held immediately after the Kiddush.
Services are also held on Yomim Tovim (Holy Days). Our festival services are at similar times to our Shabbat services.
Services are conducted by members and visiting Rabbis and ministers. For example during our recent Rosh Hashanna
and Yom Kippur Services we welcomed Rabbi Mark Daniels who conducted the services alongside our members.
Barmitvahs, & Weddings
Many Barmitzvahs & Weddings have been held at our Synagogue over the years. We are are recommended venue in
the Jewish Wedding Directory and the only orthodox Synagogue in Berkshire officially registered to hold such events. If
you are looking to have a small orthodox and kosher catered Wedding or Barmitzvah up to around 100 guests in very
traditional surroundings outside of London, at an extremely competitive price compared with London venues, then we
think you’ll find our facilities are ideal for this.
Alternatively , if you are looking to have a much larger function in and around Reading, why not consider having the
Wedding or Barmitzvah ceremony in our wonderful Grade II listed Synagogue. This can be followed with the function at
one of the many local venues which hold such events including one, with excellent facilities, which explicitly enables us
to Kosher cater our functions there on a Sunday for a very competetive price. With our local knowledge, celebrating in
Reading could be an very attractive option. Please contact us for further details of how we may hep you.
Social Events
We regularly hold social events withing the community, both at a personal level and as community events. For example
we’ve had and are having soon:
•
An Evening of Hidden Treasures - antiques valuation and supper event
•
Chanuka event and candle lighting for the children and the community as a whole
•
Challah Bake for the children and older members of the community
•
Sit down Shabbat lunches as part of the wider Shabbat UK initiatives
•
Italian Dine and Magic Evening with celebrity Magician, [Rabbi] Geoffrey Shisler
•
Tu Bishvat (New Year for Trees) community lunch
•
Talk – Discovering the lighter side of science
We have further events planned for later in the year and next year.
For further details of dates and times please contact us.
Groups
We have many groups, catering for all ages and tastes both within our community, on the Synagogue premises, in the
adjacent hall and in memebrs houses. In addition we have links to the wider Reading and Berkshire community, e.g.:
•
Council of Christians and Jews
•
Reading Inter-faith Group
•
Berkshire Jewish Representative Council (BJRC)
Whether your interests are educational, social or cultural there will be something to suit you.
Other Facilities
Reading Hebrew Congregation has a number of additional facilities that help us to sustain Jewish life in the area ...
• Kosher Food - please contact us if you wish to order anything
• Judaica - a selection of books, cards, etc for all occasions and festivals is available or can be ordered as required
• Library - a good place to browse, contemplate and discover
• Sir Herman Gollancz Hall - our Community Hall is used in many ways for both community and external use. The hall
has a kosher kitchen to support community functions and is available for Barmitzvahs and Wedding.s It is also available
at certain times, subject to terms and conditions, for external hire to local groups, etc.
• Mikvah - In addition to the above we have have access to the Oxford Slager Mikvah
Reading
Hebrew
Congregation
Children’s Services
We've enhanced our Children's Services as part of our development plans for the youngest in the community and those
within families in the area who have links with our community.
Tots to under 8’s. The services for this group last about 20 minutes followed by a Kiddish. We'll have rhymes, songs and
stories for Shabbat, led by members of the community. We'd like the little ones to be accompanied by an adult - parent,
grandparent, friend of the family, etc.
Over 8’s. We also support the over 8’s, with an appropriate programme for approximately 30 mins which will proceed the
under 8’s service.
We have already run a number of these services with different groups of children attending and with some very good
feedback from the kids and their mums aswell! The next service is planned for Shabbat November 25th. If you would
welcome the opportunity for you and your children to get to know other Jewish people in the area then this may well be
an opportunity to do so. If you are interested, please contact us at info@rhc.org.uk for more details.
Regular Shabbat Services
In or about Reading? Please join us for our weekly Shabbat services held at the Synagogue every Saturday
and our monthly Friday night services (times vary). See also below.
Please follow the Visitor Booking process on the Home page to let us know you would like to come.