Synagogue Marriage on the Rise in Britain

The number of British Jews marrying in synagogues rose by two percent last year compared to the previous year. The figure went from 3806 in 1969 to 3872 in 1970, according to a study by a statistical and demographic research unit of the Board of Deputies of British Jews which said it was the highest since 1958. But it was still well below the average of 5400 a year who held their weddings in synagogues during the five immediate post-war years, 1946-50. The study attributed the increase to the peak number of synagogue marriages right after World War II. Children born of those unions are now of marriageable age. A further rise in synagogue weddings is expected to be noted this year. The unit was established several years ago but has not yet completed its work on synagogue groupings. The Jewish population of the United Kingdom is 410,000 of whom 280,000, nearly two-thirds, live in the London area. In the period 1960-65, 61 percent of the latter were affiliated with a synagogue and the unit believes this still holds good.