St. Anne’s Hebrew Congregation, or as it’s generally known, The Shul By The Sea.

St. Anne’s, just less than an hour’s drive from Manchester, has a thriving Jewish community including many expats from Manchester, and an increasing number of new immigrants who want to live in a beautiful, clean and healthy coastal area.

Our impressive shul was built in 1964, and in 2012, the community merged with Blackpool, when their shul closed. There’s been a Jewish community in the area since the 1930’s, and our joint community now numbers around 300.

Our current Rabbi in 2021 is Rabbi Danny Bergson, who together with Rebbetzen Anna and their 5 children, took up the post in August 2018, with his induction taking place in June 2019 by Chief Rabbi Mirvis.

There are services on selected days every week, and throughout the pandemic, Rabbi Danny has conducted Zoom services, attracting visitors from all over the world.

The Ladies Guild and the Ladies Social Circle hold events throughout the year (as well as a kiddush every Shabbat), and including a regular summer barbeque, and annually we sponsor and host a visit of disabled Israeli soldiers, ending in a grand barbeque in our president’s garden. Regular events in the shul hall throughout the year attract visitors from Liverpool, Southport and Manchester as well as our locals.

It’s like being on permanent holiday living in this seaside town, full of roadside cafes and miles of beaches. Hotels, shopping and medical amenities are plentiful, and our local theatres attract a variety of performances for all ages. Our website (www.shulbythesea.com) has a regular newsletter, as well as information on service times and local current affairs and interesting gossip.

For anyone thinking of visiting or moving here, we can only say ‘welcome and what a great choice!’