Frequently Asked Questions

We are not affiliated with any particular denomination or movement of synagogues. All Jewish people are welcome.

Our services are held at the Jewish Rooms at Lancaster University which has a kosher kitchen supervised by the UJS Chaplain. We often use the Liberal Judaism prayer book but are open to member-organised events following other traditions.

The nearest Orthodox communities are St Annes and Southport, and there are several large orthodox communities in Manchester

The nearest Reform communities are in Southport, Blackpool and Manchester.

The nearest Liberal community is in Manchester.

There is a small community of Jewish people in Preston. Our Secretary can provide contact details.

There is a Jewish Society at Lancaster University. Details can be found on the LUSU website and on Facebook.

We do not offer these, but we can put you in touch with other sources of information.

Although there are no kosher shops, delis or butchers in Lancaster, many kosher certified products are available in supermarkets and the London Beth Din has provided this Kosher Product Search tool to help you locate them.

The nearest kosher shops and butchers are in north Manchester, and many of the community make regular visits and can take requests.

There is a kosher kitchen at the Jewish rooms at Lancaster University supervised by the UJS Chaplain.

As a community we sometimes make group online orders from the online kosher store Sabeny which delivers to the area. Please contact the secretary for details of our group orders. Other online kosher food suppliers are available.

If you are visiting and have further questions about where to eat, please feel free to contact us.

There are no Jewish schools in Lancaster. We tailor activities to the needs of our community including family friendly events. There are currently several Jewish families with children in the area.

We are available to offer support and to talk to you about this.

We have a supportive community hate crime officer in the area, and we encourage you to report any antisemitic incidents to them. You are also encouraged to report to the CST which monitors antisemitic incidents nationally.

We frequently speak to schools and other groups, either on Judaism in general or specific subjects as requested. Please contact us to discuss this further.

There are some video resources about Judaism produced by various organisations which schools may find useful, including the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities’ ‘Five Minute Judaism’ series.

Jewish activities in Lancaster take place at the Jewish Rooms at Lancaster University where there is a small room which is used as a synagogue. This is a consecrated room but is not a full synagogue and does not, for example, regularly hold Torah scrolls or other items found in synagogues. You may wish to contact one of the other communities listed above, all of which offer tours on occasion, or the Manchester Jewish Museum.

For information about attending our services please join our mailing list. If you wish to arrange a service or a gathering for a special occasion please contact us to discuss.

Conversion to Judaism is a process that requires a significant degree of commitment.

Various denominations have their own routes to conversions which you can read about on the following links:
Reform Judaism
Liberal Judaism
United Synagogue

In the first instance, we suggest contacting one or more of these strands of Judaism to discuss your situation.

We wish to include and support local people converting to Judaism, but the requirements for attendance at services and community involvement inherent in all conversion processes cannot be met by our small community. For instance you will be expected to regularly attend Shabbat services – which do not take place in Lancaster. Therefore we would suggest you make contact with synagogues in the wider region to discuss any local conversion programme they may offer.

Once you have embarked on this process, we would be delighted to additionally welcome you to our events.

If you wish to explore your ancestry, you may wish to contact the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain (JGSGB). 

To discuss what this may mean for your identity, feel free to contact us to discuss further.