Educational Resources

This Digital Resource Library was created by the Jewish Museum London learning team. The Library brings together objects, video and audio that relate to the Jewish experience in Wales from collections across the country and is specifically designed for teachers and students.

War Memorial (Object)

Copyright/attribution: Cyfarthfa Castle Museum

What do you see?

We can see a black panel with lots of writing in gold. We can see the words ‘Merthyr Hebrew Congregation.’ Look closely, what can you see?

What do we know?

This is a Roll of Honour or War Memorial from Merthyr Tydfil Synagogue. The memorial says ‘To the Honoured Memory of the Jewish Young Men Who Served Their Country in the Great War 1914 – 1918 (5673 – 5677) Merthyr Hebrew Congregation.’

At the top of the memorial we can see a painting of a soldier’s face and an artillery piece. There is also a Star of David and some swirled patterns in gold. The memorial lists the names of 38 Jewish men, all members of the Merthyr Tydfil Hebrew Congregation, who fought for the British Army during the First World War, 1914 – 1918. The memorial also remembers two men who were Killed in Action.

What do we wonder?

We might wonder where these men fought during the war? We might wonder how they felt when they saw the memorial honouring their service? What do you wonder?

Discussion Questions

Why are public memorials important?

Why is it important to remember the stories of the Welsh Jewish soldiers who fought for Britain?