At the beginning of April 2025, 20th Century Society announced that, of all the buildings that the charity was championing, our synagogue was to be placed as Number 1 in its ‘Risk List’.  The list is published once every two years in the national press and showcases the most important 20thC buildings at risk of demolition in the UK. A publicity campaign even went up around the city. Some of you may have seen the posters!

Just as the Risk List was about to hit the headlines, the campaign was interrupted by an announcement from Historic England that Brighton & Hove Reform Synagogue had been awarded Grade 2 listed status.

This means that our Synagogue is now legally protected for the nation for posterity. The listing is based on a compelling case clearly, as 20thC buildings rarely receive listed status. The listing report can be accessed here.

In summary, the listing status is conferred for two reasons:

• Firstly, the Holocaust Memorial Stained Glass Windows and Ark Doors by John Petts are important examples of his stained glass in the UK and of national significance.
• Secondly, the dedication of our Synagogue by the founding Rabbi and community, to the memories of the six million who perished in the Holocaust, is unique in the UK, possibly in the world.

You can read below how the news of our listed synagogue drew excited responses in the national press.

The listing report offers much to be proud and excited about. We are custodians of a very special synagogue, entrusted with a work of art, in the Petts Windows & Ark Doors, the importance of which extends far beyond the four walls of our synagogue. The national recognition of our special heritage is the fulfilment of Rabbi Rosenblum’s Vision that the synagogue should be a bridge to the outside world.

If we build upon this Vision, a very different vista appears to the one we have got used to. Building on our history, the prospects are boundless – the creation of a Holocaust Education Centre, a Jewish Education Centre, a place for art-lovers to view the Petts Windows, a Centre for Peace. All these grow organically from the founding Vision.

The public appetite to visit the Synagogue to see the Windows is very large. According to 20th Century Society, enquiries have come in from up and down the country, and as far afield as the USA, from people longing to visit.

At a time when the Jewish Community is so beleaguered, we can be championing our heritage and finding ways to promote understanding and sow peaceful relationships with our neighbours.

In practical terms, having a listing is associated with increased costs – but these are potentially far outweighed by the funding sources specifically available for listed buildings.

The national recognition of the historical, social and artistic value of our synagogue should make it easier to attract private sponsorship, both from members and non-members. As a national treasure it is likely that more people will want to join – or become ‘Friends of the Synagogue’.

A ‘Plan B’ subcommittee, appointed by the Synagogue Council, have been exploring options for how to make the listed building work. They have come up with an exciting plan. Read more about it here.