New seaside Jewish cultural hub aims to keep Sussex community afloat
A Brighton development, inspired by JW3, will breathe new Jewish life into the seafront city
Artist’s impression of the BNJC development on New Church Road, Hove
When Marc Sugarman found out that the Brighton & Hove Hebrew Congregation was in financial difficulty in 2015, he was concerned. Brighton-born, he had been barmitzvahed at that synagogue and believed that if it was under threat, so were the remnants of British-Jewish life in the seafront city.
Determined to do something to save the synagogue from selling up, he sought financial donations to turn the site into a hub that would celebrate Jewish life in area.
He succeeded. Inspired by the JW3 Jewish community centre in north-west London, he encouraged donors to invest in a multi-million-pound project that would restore the Orthodox synagogue and expand the site to include a kosher restaurant, deli, mikveh and 45 homes, ranging from one bedroom flats to houses. Some of the...