Jewish History Association of Wales/Cymdeithas Hanes Iddewig Cymru

16/05/2026

Sadly, the AJR - The Association of Jewish Refugees walking tour of Cardiff on 27 May is now fully booked. If you missed out and would like to take a tour of Cardiff's wider Jewish history from the comfort of your home, you can find the JHAW Cardiff Trail on our website:

We have created a digital Cardiff Jewish heritage trail in three parts. You can follow the trail virtually at home on your computer or visit the sites using your mobile phone.

16/05/2026

Jewish Culture Month (UK) begins today. Visit their website to find events happening near you.

Everyone is invited to the UK’s first annual Jewish Culture Month – a nationwide celebration of Jewish culture, community and creativity. Jewish Culture Month is a cultural coming […]

01/05/2026

Happy Birthday Dear Wartski!

Today marks the 135th anniversary of the opening of Morris Wartski's first Jewellery shop in Bangor. After emigrating from Poland, he began his lease at 21 High Street on 1 May 1891. He also held Bangor's first religious services in the rooms above his shop.

Morris moved to Llandudno in 1909, where he opened a new shop on Mostyn Street. Today, the world-famous 'Wartski of Llandudno' premises, based in London, hold a Royal Warrant and crafted the wedding rings for the King and Queen.

The JHAW are currently researching a walking trail in Bangor that tells the Wartski family's story. This will go live in June.

With thanks to Wartski for permission to use their image of Morris outside 21 High Street.

29/04/2026

The JHAW is excited to announce a new scholarship opportunity, generously funded by the Silver Family and in partnership with Bangor University. Submission Deadline: 14 July 2026.

This Master’s by Research studentship will investigate the experiences of Jewish women across the various immigrant Jewish communities in Wales. The project contributes to a broader understanding of the multicultural dimensions of Welsh social history under the supervision of Professor Nathan Abrams. There has been next to no research on the role and influence of Jewish women in Wales; therefore, this research scholarship presents an exciting opportunity to blaze a trail in an unexplored field.

For full details, visit the following link:

Funded by the generosity of the Silver Family and in conjunction with the Jewish History Association of Wales, this Master’s by Research studentship will investigate the experiences of the Jewish women of the various immigrant Jewish communities of Wales. The project contributes to a broader under...

14/04/2026

Today we mark Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day.
Cardiff Reform Synagogue honours the names of 102 people who were murdered in the Holocaust, and who also have family connections to Wales.
We have researched every name. If you would like to join in honouring their memory, you can read their individual stories here:

Mounted on the back wall of the Cardiff Reform Synagogue is a wooden tablet, illuminated by a light that is never extinguished. On the Tablet are the names of 102 individuals, related to members of the Congregation, whose lives were snuffed out in the Holocaust; they have no graves, but their names....

14/04/2026

For the last eight weeks, we have been mentoring a group of interns from Cardiff University. They have been researching the histories of Welsh-Jewish servicemen and women from the First World War. These stories will be uploaded to the national website 'British Jews in the First World War: We Were There Too'.
We concluded the internship yesterday with a very enjoyable and informative visit to Firing Line Museum of The Queen's Dragoon Guards and The Royal Welsh. Thank you so much to all the staff who gave us a wonderful tour and insight into life working in the heritage sector.

02/04/2026

This Hebrew Torah reading card was used by the Newport (MON) Hebrew Congregation, Newport during the 1900s. The cards were used as part of a calendar to remind you when additional prayers are said or additional words are inserted into prayers.

This card references Pesach Sheni, or 'Second Passover', which happens on 14 Iyar, exactly one month after 14 Nisan, when families hold their traditional Seder meal. It represents the Torah‑mandated “make‑up day” for those who were unable to bring the Korban Pesach (Passover offering) at its proper time due to ritual impurity or being on a distant journey.

This year, Pesach Sheni falls on 1st May in the Gregorian calendar.

Chag Pesach Sameach!

27/03/2026

Book your place on the AJR - The Association of Jewish Refugees walking tour of Cardiff. The tour will focus on the many connections between Wales and the Holocaust. A few members of the Jewish History Association of Wales will be there too, so come along and say hello.

18/03/2026

Thanks to Welsh Histories for their post about the Jewish community in Wales.

This follows on from the anti-racism post I wrote last night, which largely focused on Muslims in 20th century Welsh history. This one will focus on Jewish people in Cymru during that same century.

As of the most recent census in 2021, Jews make up just 0.1% of the Welsh population. This does not mean, however, that Jews are new arrivals into Cymru.

What many may not realise is that the Jewish faith (Judaism) is only outlived by the Christian faith in Cymru and wider Britain, with the 1290 Edict of Expulsion by Edward I being the reason for a centuries-long period without the presence of Jews within Welsh lands. There will be many of us who, while not practising Jews or identifying as an ethnic Jew, would be surprised to find ethnic Jews in our own family trees.

Much like Muslims, there were many Jews who fought in the British Army during the Second World War. It is estimated that around 60,000 were involved. Furthermore, as many will likely be aware, the Second World War saw us fighting against a force who wanted to exterminate Jews and it won't be a surprise to those of you aware of this fact that many Jews came to Britain as refugees.

Though the war didn't officially begin until 1939, Hi**er had been in power for six years already (and his toxic worldview had dominated propaganda even before his taking power) and, as a result, Jews had already been persecuted for years prior to the war beginning. Jewish refugees, therefore, came to Britain and Cymru in their thousands and an estimated 70,000 did so before the outbreak of war in 1939. This number would extend by another 10,000 during the war. Many of the Jewish people who live in Cymru today are descended from the same Jews who fled the Holocaust.

The attached image, per the People's Collection of Wales, shows members of the Cardiff Jewish community standing behind Penylan Synagogue sometime in or around 1955. Penylan Synagogue was a place of worship for Orthodox Jews in Cyncoed Gardens, Caerdydd (Cardiff in English), and today exists as the Cardiff United Synagogue.

06/03/2026

I recently came across a short notice in CAJEX relating to the brutal murder of Jewish shopkeeper, Lily Volpert, in Cardiff's Tiger Bay. Lily had taken over the business from her father (photographed together below), who had arrived in Cardiff from the Russian Pale of Settlement in 1904.

Today marks the 74th anniversary of her death.

On 6 March 1952, Lily was the victim of a robbery at her haberdashery shop, where she was murdered for £100. She was 41 years old.

Somali seaman Mahmood Mattan was arrested and, within months, was hanged for the crime. The trial was based on problematic evidence and was highly prejudiced, with Mattan being labelled as a 'half-child of nature; half, semi-civilised savage' by his own defence barrister. His family fought for decades, until his conviction was overturned in 1998 and South Wales Police issued an apology in 2022. Mattan was the last person to be hanged in Cardiff Jail.

Lily's murder remains unsolved, but today we remember her.

There is a very informative podcast on BBC Sounds which speaks to members of both Lily's family and Mahmood's descendants. It recalls community memories of Lily and her business - everyone knew Volpert's.

Mattan: Injustice of a Hanged Man:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0cy03nc