Central Shul - Visit Us - Visit Birmingham Central

Hospitality

The community at Birmingham Central United Synagogue prides itself on providing warmth and hospitality for its many visitors.

Families regularly host students at their houses for Shabbat meals, encouraging them to interact with the community and providing a “home-from-home”.

If you are away from home and travelling on business, do not spend Shabbat alone in your hotel room, but come and join us and experience Birmingham’s renowned hospitality.

Please don’t hesitate to contact the shul office.

Mikva

The Birmingham Community Mikva is located on-site and is open to the whole community and visitors.

For women: To make an appointment, please call the Mikva Line on 0121 285 1809, at least 48 hours in advance.

For men: The mikva is available for use on Friday mornings before Shacharit.

Donations towards the cost of running the mikva at Birmingham Central can be made online or left with your attendant after a visit.

If you wish to use the mikva for keilim, please contact the Rabbi or the shul office.

Students

Students play an active role in our Shul life and are an integral part of our community.

Birmingham Central Synagogue is just a short walk away from Hillel House and the main student accommodation in Selly Oak. Students are encouraged to take part in all Shul events, and regular hospitality is provided by host families for Shabbat and Yom Tov meals.

For a reduced synagogue membership fee per academic year, students can associate themselves with the congregation, be kept up to date with all mailings, and will be invited to all educational and social events as well as formal meetings.

Contact the office if you would like to know more.

For more information on Jewish student life in Birmingham, see www.birminghamjsoc.org or contact president@bhamjsoc.com.

Students’ pastoral needs are catered for by the Midlands Regional Chaplaincy and there is also a branch of Aish HaTorah and Chabad on Campus in Birmingham.

School visits

Many children enjoy the regular school visits hosted by Birmingham Central Synagogue. The educational visits we offer meet the statutory requirements laid upon schools to provide a basic curriculum of religious education for Foundation stage, Key stages 1-4 and Sixth Form.

If you would like to organise a school visit, we would be delighted to arrange an explanatory tour with one of our Guides. We can tailor tours to suit your particular interests, for example, Jewish festivals, our traditions, Torah scrolls, and Jewish symbols.

Visits take approximately one hour and can be booked for Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, arriving between 10am and 2pm during term time – excluding during Jewish Festivals. The maximum group size is 35 students.

Download the following documents to find out more: Visitor Policy Visitor FAQs Booking Form

Group tours

For community groups interested in seeing around the synagogue and finding out about Judaism we would be happy to discuss the possibility of a tour. We cannot provide tours for individuals or groups under 10 persons.

Local accommodation

Birmingham Central Synagogue is situated close to the heart of Birmingham, with the majority of the city centre hotels less than a two-mile walk away.

There is a large choice of accommodation depending on your budget and how close to the shul you would like to stay.

The closest hotels are the Ibis Hotel, Travelodge Birmingham Central Bull Ring, or the Pentahotel Birmingham each about a mile away. Widening the search gives you a choice of the Hyatt or Radisson in the city centre, the Edgbaston Park Hotel which is the nearest hotel to the cricket ground or the Marriott at Five Ways.

If you choose to eat in your hotel our Deli stocks a wide range of Hermolis frozen meals that can be re-heated in non-kosher kitchens.