The community was founded in 1955 with temporary accommodation and the synagogue was dedicated in 1967 to serve a rapidly growing community. The 400-capacity building was designed by Derek Sharp. A plaque indicates that the foundation stone was laid on 17 July 1966, or in the Hebrew calendar, 29 Tammuz 5726. It became the largest congregation in Brighton and Hove and one of the larger ones in the Reform Movement.
The first rabbi to serve the community was Rabbi Rosenblum who developed a style of prayer which combined a sense of tradition with mixed seating and inclusion of English beside a mainly Hebrew rendering of the service. In 2011 members of the synagogue voted in favour of equal rights for women congregants.[3]
The synagogue is a member of the Movement for Reform Judaism. In 2012, it was reported that the congregation had 500 adult members.[4]
Rabbi
The rabbi of the congregation, since September 2012, is Dr. Andrea Zanardo. Zanardo was born in Varese and was among the founders of the first Italian Progressive Congregation while studying for his PhD. He was ordained in July 2012 after rabbinical studies at Leo Baeck College.[2]
