The College

The Montefiore College, established by Sir Moses in memory of his wife Judith who died in 1866, runs programmes of advanced Torah education. Its Semicha course was established to produce a new generation of rabbis for the Anglo-Jewish community. Five of its students have already graduated as rabbis; and most of the dozen or so students on its second course hope to qualify in July 2013. A third course is planned to commence in November 2013. Its Montefiore Kollel at LSJS, planned to open in October 2012, will prepare students for entry to the Semicha course and also cater for others wishing to serve the Community in other capacities.

Sir Moses Montefiore

The life and times of Sir Moses Montefiore, Bart., described at the peak of Britain's imperial power as "the most famous Jew in the world"; the history and the current activities of the Montefiore Endowment, which has continued until now to administer Sir Moses's bequest in accordance with British Charity Law and in a manner that its trustees are confident he would have approved; and the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' Congregation, London of which Sir Moses was a member - the oldest synagogue in England and the one which he lead for many years.

The Collections

The Montefiore Collections include items and papers once belonging to Sir Moses as well as manuscripts, books, silver and vestments from the Montefiore College and Synagogue. NEW! The Montefiore Censuses were compiled between 1839 and 1876, covering Jewish inhabitants of the Holy Land, Alexandria, Sidon and Beirut.
NEW! Work is in progress to catalogue the hundreds of Montefiore Petitions Petitions sent to Sir Moses from all over the world during his visits to the Holy Land.

Latest news

» The next London Montefiore Semicha Course (12th March 2013)
Opening in November 2013. [read more]

» Regular visits to the Montefiore Synagogue for local schoolchildren (12th March 2013)
Two visits involving a couple of hundred schoolchildren have taken place so far [read more]

» London Montefore Semicha Course Lecture opened to the public (23rd January 2013)
Rabbi Dr Avraham Steinberg on Organ Donation in Halacha [read more]

» Montefiore Gap-Year Fellowships (14th November 2012)
At Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi and Midreshet Lindenbaum in Jerusalem [read more]

» Manuscripts and Printed Books on loan to University College London (12th September 2011)
Temporary Relocation [read more]