The Hillman Windows

Previous stain glass windows at this location were designed by David Hillman. Hillman was the son of the head of the London Beth Din, and became the most active Synagogue stain glass window creator of the twentieth century, working until his death in 1974. His designs are to be found in numerous synagogues, including Egerton Road, Hampstead Garden Suburb and the Central Synagogue. The windows originally installed here, are still beloved and installed at St Johns Wood Synagogue, now located on Grove End Road.

The Abbey Road windows were special to Hillman. He was resident in the area, in Priory Road where he also had his studio, and was a member of St. Johns Wood Synagogue. He designed nine triptyches, each focusing on a different festival theme. His style, including many Hebrew texts, indicates deep Jewish knowledge – he was an ordained rabbi, but gave up the clerical profession for a life of art.

Unlike most windows of this sort, Hillman includes images of people and half-hidden faces, surprising given the prohibition of ‘graven images.’ He also includes depictions of ceremonies, festival foods and meals, as well as representations of musical instruments and flowers which are described in various parts of the Bible and Scriptures.

One of the Abbey Road sets, the Rosh Chodesh set, were installed in a major ceremony by the Maida Vale Zionist Society in the mid 1950’s, in honour of Israel’s first President Haim Weitzmann, Theodore Herzl, and Israel’s first ambassador to the UK, Eliyahu Eliash.

Professor David Newman

Thank you to

The family of Cyril Korn for the lead donation

The dedication level donations of

The family of Pamela Fialko, Sir Michael Burton & family, the children, grandchildren & great-grandchildren of Stanley and Shula Cohen of blessed memory, Sir Sydney & Lady Lipworth, Silke Noa, Helen Ward & Harry Gilbert, Jonathan & Lucy Silver, Annabel & Jason Bartfeld, the children and grandchildren of Hilliard & Ray Leibowitz, Gina & Alan Sanders, Elaina & Gerald Rothman, Milton Woolf & Family, the trustees of the West Central Liberal Synagogue, Robert & Lesley Kissin, Brian, Clare, Daniel and Jonathan Linden, the families of Iris & Bernard Stone and Cissie & Paul Rosefield, Ruth, Ian & Jeremy Rosenblatt and Tessa Laws, Stefan, Rebecca, Louis & Noa Isaacs, the family of Coral Samuel, Susan Elizabeth Slesinger & family and the Rechtman family.

The community donations of

David Lubin, Kate Freed, David Lewis, Lionel Frumkin, Robert Gore, Emil & Anthony Landes, Matthias Boizard, Margo Schwartz, Charles & Chen Dalah, Rabbi Jeremy Gordon & family, Clive & Hilary Ross, Ben Marks, Elizabeth Keidan, Joshua & Natasha Rosen, Rodney Hornstein, Michael Grenfell and families.

And our anonymous donors

Thank you also to

Lead Contractor & Consultant – Andrew Moor

Operations Manager – Phil Ashleigh

Lighting – Spanlight International

Graphic Design – Uri Berkowitz

Project Management – Frank Rogers

Installation – Prism Glass

Redecoration – Zenelaj Construction