Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation, Edinburgh

The Edinburgh Synagogue, which opened in 1932, is situated on Salisbury Road in Edinburgh's Newington district. This synagogue serves as the base for the Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation (EHC), established in 1816. Before this building's inauguration, the congregation met in a repurposed chapel on Graham Street, used since 1898.

The Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation, the city's earliest synagogue, started in 1817 at Richmond Court for about 20 families. As the congregation expanded, they moved to larger premises at Park Place in 1868, and later to Graham Street in 1898.

From 1881 to 1914, Edinburgh saw a significant influx of immigrants, introducing diverse religious practices and leading to the formation of new congregations. Some of these immigrants were from within Britain. For instance, in 1879, Hasidic Jews from Manchester, employed at the Caledonian Rubber Works in Fountainbridge, established a synagogue in Dalry's Caledonian Crescent, catering to roughly 35 families.

The construction of the current synagogue began on May 3, 1931, with Walter Samuel, the 2nd Viscount Bearsted, laying the foundation stone. Taking 15 months to complete, the synagogue was inaugurated on September 11, 1932, by Chief Rabbi Joseph Hertz. Designed by James Miller, a distinguished Glasgow architect known for his commercial and railway station designs, this synagogue is his only work in Edinburgh.

The synagogue, accommodating up to 1,000 people and including a mikveh, features a red brick façade in a simplified Byzantine style. Its design highlights a large central dome, supported by steel hangers from a flat roof, allowing natural light to fill the interior.