The truth was that, like so many of the provincial communities, the Bath Jewry was already in the first throes of a long decline. By 1874, the community could no longer even muster a regular minyan (religious quorum) as only five male members were left, and such minyans as occurred were paid minyans where other Jews were recruited from Bristol to make up the numbers. A budget of 5/- a month was put aside for this expenditure. The rabbi of the congregation had to double as communal schochet, as well as to work at another occupation, to supplement his meager position. While this sort of arrangement was by no means an unusual occurrence at the period, it seems that this rabbi's stipend must have been very marginal indeed. Brief respite from this despairing picture, came with the retirement of Rabbi Nathan Jacobs to Bath in 1872. He had formerly served as a rabbi in Cardiff. In 1876 he helped revive the community temporarily, but to little long-term avail.
The beginning of the end came in 1894, when the synagogue was ruined by flooding and the community had to advertise for outside help to put things right. The last entry of the communal minute book was in January 1901. In 1911 the lease of the synagogue expired and the community came to a formal end.
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