AK Segan art
The JT News – Voice of Jewish Washington, Seattle
(formerly The Jewish Transcript)
Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater SeattlE
september 19, 2008, Rosh Hashana
Facing the Bima, Middle Street synagogue, Brighton, England
About the cover artwork
"Facing the Bima, Middle Street synagogue, Brighton, England"
[Internet readers note:
In the hardcopy edition of the newspaper, see the attached photo; at the left of the upper text - a black & white reproduction of a drawing with the following caption:
An Eternal Light (Ner tamid) chandelier, Middle Street synagogue,
Brighton, England, ink, 2004.
The cover art, titled "Facing the Bima," was printed in color.
~ About the Cover artwork, by Akiva K. Segan, Special to the JT News - Voice of Jewish Washington
Visiting the adjoining old seaside cities of Brighton & Hove, south of London, in winter 2004 for my Holocaust/Genocide Education through Art teaching, I had sightseeing time.
Thanks to 19th-century monarch Queen Victoria, Brighton has some of England's greatest architecture. The Middle Street synagogue being a jewel among them.
A Jewish friend in Brighton phoned the Brighton & Hove Hebrew Congregation with her mobile (pronounced MOE-bile, with three syllables, unlike the 2 syllabic of Mobile, Alabama); the rabbi gave permission to visit.
Reg, the knowledgeable caretaker, who lived with his wife in the cottage in back, gave a tour. Built between 1874-76 and opened in 1875, the sanctuary was breathtaking.
There are fine wood benches, wrought-iron railings, chandeliers, tall floor lamps and elaborately designed windows. I spent a half day drawing the beautiful bima. Other drawings included a chandelier, drawn from the women's gallery, and a linoprint of the "sculptural" - sized silver Chanukah menorah installed in the 1920's.
The Friday service was truly memorable. Led by a Sussex County-raised recent college grad, there were 2 others younger than 60, including me. The other eight or nine were elderly: One blind, others frail. Several were British Army World War II vets.
This small group of old men made more volume of prayer and song than I've heard at any service I'd attended.
A year or two later I read the shul had closed. Reg, nearing 70 in 2004, had expressed concern to me that he'd lose his job and their home if the parent shul sold Middle Street to developers.
Baruch hashem! Earlier this month a board member wrote me that Reg and his wife had "been well taken care of" - their cottage will become a Hillel center.
Funds from the UK Trust for Historic Preservation and elsewhere will enable restoration. Afterwards, it will be open just for "special occasion" services.
I asked where the old men, spouses and offspring still residing by the old waterfront district worship since closing? Some go elsewhere, some meet amongst themselves, others not.
With enthusiastic collective singing a joy of Jewish worship, my most memorable Jewish service was one where one's clothing, possessions, financial status and fancy catering mattered not, just a small group of Jewish men singing praise to God. Shana tova! - Akiva Segan ~
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