Bury Hebrew Congregation

Bury Hebrew Congregation, also known as Bet Knesset Sha'ar HahShamayim is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Sunnybank Road, Bury, Manchester England, in the United Kingdom. The congregation was formed in 1964 and worships in the Ashkenazi rite. Its members are drawn from the suburbs of Sunnybank, Unsworth and Hollins.

History

In 1964 a meeting was held at Blackford Bridge Reform Church. Plans were laid to purchase land to build a small synagogue.
Prayers took place in members' homes until June 18, 1965, when a prefabricated building was purchased and services began to take place there, and soon after the first rabbi was appointed, David Grunsfeld, who also taught at the cheder.
In 1976, a new building was opened by Immanuel Jakobovits, who was then Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth.
In 1982 Grunsfeld left, and was replaced as rabbi by Moshe Fine, who was replaced three years later by Binyomin Singer.

Events since 1998

In 1998, the Beit Hamedrash and study hall were opened. The study hall serves for weekday prayer services, small functions and the SEED study programme, and houses an extensive library.
On 10 September 2000 the synagogue dedicated a Sefer Torah in memory of its late warden, Sol Weinstock.