JEWISH
EAST END OF LONDON PHOTO GALLERY & COMMENTARY
London's East End Synagogues, cemeteries and more......
My personal journey through the Jewish East End of London begins
here...
|
please e.mail thoughts & memories to:
Phil Twitter:
@Philslondon
  Jewish walking tours with Phil.....are
you a visitor to London, or maybe a family/individual/club/organisation
wishing to discover the Jewish East End of London or Jewish Soho in
London's West End? If so, I would love the
opportunity to take you round. My fee is modest and my enthusiasm is
boundless. I
lead tours around Whitechapel, Spitalfields, Stepney Green, Jewish Soho
and more. If you have a particular interest you wish to explore
please let me know. On the right is a photo of a recent walking
tour visiting a forgotten rural corner of Mile End. Do you recognise it? For more information and photos please click
tours.
You can
also read
about a
recent walk for Sutton and District synagogue
here. To
enquire about a group or individual tour please e.mail
Phil
All my walking tourers are entitled to a 10% discount off a meal at
London's premier Kosher restaurant:
Restaurant 1701
located in the secluded courtyard of historic Bevis Marks Synagogue,
Bevis Marks, London EC3A 7LH. Ask me for your discount card.
Regrettably I cannot undertake any walks in August
Follow me on
Facebook
If you love Klezmer, you'll
love this:
Klezmer Klub concert
I'm adding new pages all the time, so keep checking
back - have fun!
Fieldgate Street
synagogue is open once a month for Shabbat morning services. Their next is
on Saturday 16th June starting around 9.30am.
I'll be there. If you
want further details send me an email.
Meanwhile, view historic scenes
from their March 2006 Purim service here:
Purim, part 1 &
Purim, part 2
.
View scenes
from nearby Nelson Street Synagogue, filmed on Jewish heritage day 2007
when author Bernard Kops read samples of his work:
Nelson Street
and 'Deaf as a bug!'
(Double click all photos to enlarge)
|
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON JEWISH
SETTLEMENT IN THE EAST END OF LONDON
|
 |
 |
 |
| Plaque
on entrance to Jewish Care's premises in Beaumont Grove, Stepney
states: The Stepney Jewish (B'Nai Brith) Club & Settlement. This
building was opened by H.M. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother on 28th
June 1956" |
Plaque
on entrance to the Brady Centre in Hanbury St, off Brick Lane,
states that these premises were once the site of the Brady Boys &
Girls Clubs |
High
Definition Map of Whitechapel/Spitalfields/Stepney dated 1922. How
many synagogues (syn) can you spot? |
 The word 'shul' is Yiddish
(a Jewish dialect spoken by Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants
which is a mixture of German, Hebrew and other influences)
and
means 'school' and is another word for 'synagogue'
- which is itself a Greek word meaning 'meeting place'.
As the names indicate, these
immigrant founded East End synagogues were more than just places of
worship. They were social centres, study centres (shuls), places
where people who had emigrated from the same towns in Russia (landsman)
could find reassurance together, and so on. On the left is a recent photo
of the interior of Fieldgate Street Synagogue.
  Bevis Marks (on the Eastern fringe
of the City of London) is a Sephardi (Spanish/Portuguese) synagogue, while the
others described are Ashkenazi (East European). Bevis Marks is believed to be
the UK's oldest synagogue and it opened in 1701. Sephardi
refers to Jews of Spanish/Portuguese origin. Ashkenazi refers
to Jews of East European origin. The earliest Jewish settlers in the
UK were Sephardi. They arrived here in the C17th at the time of
Cromwell and were refugees from the inquisition of The Roman Catholic
Church. The photos to the left and right were taken at an event at
Bevis Marks on 23rd July 2006 to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the
readmission of Jews to England. Six past presidents of the Board of
Deputies sat on the Bimah (the raised platform at the rear of the left
hand photo) for a lively question and answer session of interaction with
the audience - great fun!
Although small numbers of Ashkenazi Jews were already
present in London
(See the
history of The Great Synagogue, Dukes Place - established at the end of
the C17th)
the
huge influx of East European Ashkenazi immigrants arrived much later in
the
 C19th and early C20th. The Ashkenazi immigrants were often
illiterate, poor and regarded as an embarrassment by co-religionists
already settled here. These Ashkenazi Jews had fled to the West as
refugees from Russian persecution. Between 1881 - 1914 approximately
3,000,000 Jews left Russia. Most went to the United States, but some
100,000 came to the UK. They usually settled in the immediate
vicinity of where their ships had landed. Hence Jewish settlement
was concentrated in the dockland areas of major port cities, and if you
look at a map of London it is easy to work out why Jewish settlement was
concentrated in London's East End. Living conditions were often
cramped and unsanitary. For more on this take a look at Lloyd P
Gartner's book 'The Jewish Immigrant in England 1870 to 1914'. On
page's 156 and 157 of my copy he tells the story of early slum clearance and
a company called The Four Per Cent Industrial Dwellings Company Ltd
that set about trying to improve living conditions. See the photo
on the left of an arch in Wentworth Street dating from 1886 that
commemorates the work of this company, and read a little more detail about
them here:
The Four Per Cent Industrial Dwellings
Company Ltd
 On
the left is a photo of a Chumash containing the book of Exodus spotted recently in Fieldgate Street
Synagogue. It was printed in Berlin in 1832, has Cyrillic (Russian)
writing stamped in it and would have been brought to
this country by immigrants from Eastern Europe....if this book could talk
what stories it could tell!
 At the beginning of the C20th over
100,000 Jews were crowded into the area around Whitechapel, Mile End and
Aldgate. A feature of Jewish East End life was the growth of clubs for
young people - the idea being to keep them off the streets, encourage them
to become good British citizens, to be proud Jews and to give them a break from
the poverty in which so many lived. Clubs like Brady, HaBonim,
Victoria Boys, Oxford and St Georges proliferated.
Jews Free School in Bell Lane - in its time the
largest secondary school in the World - also played a major part in this
Anglicising process. Meanwhile, my friend
Simon Benedictus has written elsewhere on the site about
Oxford and St Georges. I was recently
talking to my friend Ruth London (her maiden name) who lived in Jubilee St.
She was a member of Oxford and St Georges club, and her father - Jack London
(a stalwart of the Garment Workers Union) - was a manager at Victoria Boys Club (see photo on right) on
Fordham Street off New Road. She told me about her
father taking her to Broxbourne in Hertfordshire for the Victoria
Club's weekend camps and the camp songs they would sing. These songs
were written by an 18
year old club member named Lionel Begleiter. Lionel Begleiter
lived in Brick Lane. He changed his name to Lionel Bart and
went on to write musical hits like 'Oliver'. So now you know!
With increasing prosperity many Jews moved out to the leafier
suburbs, and today only some 3000 - mostly elderly - Jews remain in
the East End. For their
sake it is important the remaining synagogues
(shuls) survive. If you are Jewish please make up a minyan/attend a
service when you can.
New
Road Synagogue,
115 New Road, Whitechapel
(now a clothing factory)
 I
made a very exciting find recently following a stroll to Nelson Street
synagogue, Whitechapel in search of a tenth man to make up the minyan at
Fieldgate Street Great Synagogue on the second day of Simchat Torah,
15th October 2006. Propped up against the wall in the small drive
leading up to Nelson Street's main entrance was the 1892 consecration
plaque from nearby New Road Federation Synagogue. New Road was located
at 115 New Road and closed in 1974. It amalgamated with Nelson Street.
New Rd's former building is now a garment factory. The inscription on
the plaque vividly recalls the hopes and dreams of the first generation
of Jewish immigrants to the East End and gives more than a hint of the
wretched conditions in Eastern Europe from which our grandparents fled.
The story of the Jewish East End of London could be written around the
words on this plaque. Update - this plaque is now permanently on
display in the entrance of Nelson Street synagogue. See also:
extract from 1892 consecration service,
National Anthem in Hebrew
Take a
look at the photo of the marble plaque below, double click it to
enlarge, then read its poignant inscription. Note the faded outline of
the Royal Crest on the top of the plaque. "V - R" on either side
of the crest refers (of course!) to Victoria Regina (Queen Victoria).
The plaque's inscription is:
 "On
the occasion of the consecration of the above synagogue (New
Road) on May 24th 1892, Her
Majesty's birthday; a letter was addressed to the Queen on behalf of the
members, expressing their respectful felicitations and acknowledging
their loyalty to Her Majesty under whose benign sovereignty they enjoyed
the priceless blessings of civil and religious liberties. The letter was
accompanied by the "order of service" containing a special prayer in
honour of Her Majesty's birthday. The following reply was received from
the Rt Hon Sir Henry F Ponsonby C.C.B. Buckingham Palace, May 26th
1892. I am commanded by the Queen to thank the members of the New Road
Synagogue for the copy of the "order of service," arranged by the Chief
Rabbi, which they have forwarded to Her Majesty. I have the honour to
be your obedient servant, Henry F Ponsonby. This tablet was unveiled on
13th Sivan 5653 - May 28th 1893, by the President J Singer esq"
 New
Rd plaque update: September 2nd
2007, New Road's 1892 consecration plaque was officially unveiled at its
new home in Nelson St
Synagogue by Henry Grunwald QC - President of the Board of Deputies of
British Jews
(see photo left)
Meanwhile, my friend
Cyril in Israel has sent the following anecdote about New Rd
Synagogue:
"My Dad, alav hashalom
was a member of the New Road shul, that is to say when he wasn't
broigess with Rectory Square, which was not that infrequent. How well
do I remember the shool? The (Belgian) Chazan who was almost fired for
singing Adon Olam to the tune of the Volga boatmen!! My Dad was
Chatan Torah there in 1938. He was sick at the time with the 'flu and
a delegation of worthies came to present him with his certificate
which I remember well, pillars and lions and much gold writing. I also
remember some discussion on shul matters which took place around my
father's sick-bed, which culminated in one of the men saying--and I
remember this well--- "Mr Shpigel, I don't vant to call you a liar,
but I must say, you tell lies". Oh, the old East End, and it's
characters........"
   Fieldgate Street
Great Synagogue, Fieldgate Street, London E1 is
located next door to the
East London Mosque. This makes for an interesting
visual contrast
between earlier and later waves of East End immigrants! Fieldgate
Street was founded in 1899 (see the Foundation plaque below). Their
first President was Sir Samuel Montagu MP - who was the prime mover
in founding the Federation of
 Synagogues. His daughter -
Lily
Montagu - was one of the founders of the Liberal Jewish Movement.
Fieldgate Street was badly damaged during the War and was rebuilt in 1950.
It remains affiliated to the Federation of Synagogues and incorporates the former
Vine Court, Alie Street, Ezras Chaim &
Stepney Orthodox synagogues. The inscriptions on the wooden panelling
fronting
 Fieldgate Street's Ladies gallery (see photo above)
detail monies given as donations for the synagogue's maintenance. The
sums described are small by today's standards but must have been enormous at
the time of their giving, and are a measure of the dedication and sacrifice
of those who founded synagogues such as these.
A memento of Vine Court synagogue still exists on a plaque on the
interior panelling
showing money donated by their Ladies Guild. . A plaque commemorating
Vine Court's 1965 amalgamation with Fieldgate Street is also on display in
the synagogue's entrance hall - see photo right.
  The
festival prayer book( machzor) (inside cover shown left) spotted in
Fieldgate Street synagogue, tells its own story. It was printed in
Warsaw in 1888 & belonged to H Kushin of Victoria Park, Hackney.
The Cyrillic inscription on the right is inscribed on page 3 of the
festival prayer book. Translated from Russian it says: "Licenced by Government services in Warsaw
25th January 1888. Printed by Tursh Franciskayi 22, Machzor Part
2."
  Fieldgate
Street closed its doors briefly on Yom Kippur 23 October 2007. On the left
Reverend David Silverstein says goodbye to Fieldgate Street, and on the
right the scroll is read for what was thought to be the last time on a Shabbat, 15th
September 2007. Fieldgate Street closed for good in April 2012. View
historic
scenes from their March 2006 Purim service on
Purim, part 1 &
Purim, part 2
Below are some past and
present Fieldgate Street Great Synagogue views.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dunkirk veteran Jack & myself outside Fieldgate Street Great Synagogue, June 2004 - Be sure to visit Fieldgate Street Shul next time you're in London! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fieldgate Street Great Synagogue-parading the Torah Scrolls early 1950's |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Plaque next to Fieldgate Street Synagogue commemorating the 1888-1988 centenary of Grodzinski's bakery that adjoined Fieldgate St Synagogue |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grodzinskis Bakery that adjoined Fieldgate St Synagogue. Chaim Grodzinski - a founder of Grodzinskis - was Vice President of Redmans Rd Talmud Torah |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fieldgate Street Great Synagogue 1899 Foundation Stone. The inscription reads: |
|
This Memorial Stone was laid by The Hon Chas N Rothschild, Monday July 17th 1899 - Ab 10th 5659. Hon President Sir Samuel Montagu Bart M.P; Acting President: S Michaels; Vice President J Cohen; Treasurer: J Payne; Wardens: H Crown & A Gluckstein; Hon Sec: Joseph E Blank; Sec: Frank W Woolf |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fieldgate Street Great Synagogue 1999 Centenary Comemorative Plaque in entrance to Synagogue. The inscription reads: |
|
Fieldgate Street Great Synagogue - To commemorate the centenary of our community 1899 - 5659 to 1999 - 5759. President: J Gayer; Vice President: N Roos; Treasurer: R Wynn; Wardens: M Burns; C Davidson; G Barnett |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Hon Lily Montagu - a Fieldgate
Street connection with the Liberal Jewish Movement:
Many people have heard of Sir Samuel Montagu,
banker, philanthropist, bastion of Jewish Orthodoxy, founder of the
Federation of Synagogues, Liberal MP for Whitechapel and much more.
Sir Samuel Montagu's name is inscribed on the Foundation stone of
Fieldgate Street (see photo above). He had a famous daughter: Lily
Montagu. Miss Lily (as she was known) went on to be a prime mover
in the 1902 founding of the Liberal Jewish movement. She became
the president of my own synagogue:
South London Liberal Synagogue,
and remained so until her death in 1963. A great lady. Read
more about Lily Montagu here:
Miss Lily Meanwhile, hidden deep
 within
the basement of the headquarters of the
Liberal Jewish
movement at The Montagu Centre, 21 Maple Street London W1T
4BE is the foundation stone of their former headquarters in nearby
Whitfield St. Miss Lily's name is inscribed on this plaque
(photo left - click to enlarge)....I
wonder what her father would have made of it all?
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Fieldgate Street ark open for
Purim |
A Fieldgate Street wedding in
2003 |
Same wedding 2003 - the
Bridegroom is wearing a tallit |
Fieldgate Street wedding from
the 1950s |
 %20Synagogue_small.jpg) Nelson Street
Sphardish Synagogue
(The East London Central Synagogue), 40 Nelson Street, London E1 2DE was
founded in 1923 - see photo on left. The following synagogues
amalgamated with Nelson Street: Belz, Berditchover,
Buross St, Cannon St. Rd, Chevra Sass, Commercial Rd Great, Grove St.,
Jubilee St, Mile End, New Rd, Philpot St. Great, Philpot St. Sphardish,
Rumanian Sidney St., Sons of Britchan. An unassuming red brick exterior
(right)gives no clue to the wonders within - It's interior is
elegant and beautiful - see photo left.
Below are two interesting plaques visible inside the
entrance to Nelson Street synagogue:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
!952 Nelson Street Amalgamation plaque |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1923 Nelson Street foundation plaque that reveals the community was founded by immigrants from Berditchover |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scenes from historic
Nelson Street Synagogue, Jewish heritage day 2007 when author Bernard
Kops read samples of his work, can be viewed here:
Nelson Street
|
    Bevis Marks Sephardi
Synagogue,
Bevis Marks, London EC3. Though not strictly in the East End Bevis
Marks is less than half a mile away in the city of London. Sephardi
Jews - with permission from Oliver Cromwell - started their official return to England in the mid C17th.
The first Sephardi Synagogue was built in Creechurch Lane in 1657. When
Creechurch Lane proved too small Bevis Marks Synagogue was built in 1701.
In contrast, the oldest
surviving Ashkenazi synagogue in London (Sandy's Row) was founded in 1854. Bevis Marks is
a premier London landmark. For more views of Bevis Marks click the
link at the top of this paragraph.
 During
a recent visit to Bevis Marks I spotted a chipped memorial plaque to the Reverend
Barnett Abrahams (photo left) tucked away in a dusty corner.
The first sentence of the plaque intrigued me. It
read: 'This tablet is erected by the working classes of the Jewish faith to honor (note the USA spelling!) the memory of the Reverend Barnett Abrahams,
founder of the Association for the diffusion of Jewish Knowledge'. I
needed to know more, and this is what the Jewish Chronicle of 20th November
1863 had to say. They announced his death thus: "Alas, alas we should have to announce such
evil tidings! Alas that we should have to
record a loss sustained by the community, which we unhesitatingly
designate as calamitous, and which, in some respects, is irreparable!
The Reverend Barnett Abrahams BA., Dayan of the Spanish and Portuguese
Congregation, and Principal of the Jews' College, expired on Sunday morning
last, before he had completed the thirty second year of his life!"
The Reverend Barnett Abrahams must have been quite a man -
but no doubt a forgotten dusty corner awaits us all!
|
  South West Essex Reform Synagogue's Beaumont
Grove Branch evolved from the Oxford and St George's Settlement.
They are now located
in premises formerly housing the Stepney Jewish Girls' Club. Their remarkable story is
often overlooked. Click on the link above to find out more -
including some personal reminiscences of Basil & Rose Henriques (founders
of The Settlement) by
former Settlement Chairman: Simon Benedictus.
 To the left is a War
memorial plaque on the entrance to the former Settlement in Henriques
Street remembering members of the West London and Liberal Jewish
Synagogues who were killed in the first World War. To the right is a
not very good photo of the Settlement's synagogue, and to the lower
right is a photo of the recently renovated entrance to the former
Settlement (Bernhard Baron House). Click:
Basil Henriques to read a short
biography of his amazing life.
|
 Congregation of Jacob Synagogue
(Kehillas
Ya'akov),
Commercial Rd. London E1 2PS was founded in 1903. The shul is also
known as Kehillas Yakov-which means 'Community of Jacob'. It
incorporates the following synagogues: Chevra Yisroel, Bicur Cholim,
Stetziver. Recent renovation has restored the synagogue to excellent
condition - as you can see from the above photographs. It is the last
Folk Art synagogue in England. David Russell of Kehillas Ya'acov
(Congregation of Jacob) tells you more of the fascinating story of his
congregation here: more
 Dr Harold Fenton - an ‘old boy’ of the
Congregation of Jacob - has written to me and relates the following about the ‘folk
art’ painting above the Congregation of Jacob's Ark (see photo right -
unfortunately the top of the painting is masked slightly by protective
polythene sheeting). "In 1950 The president of the
Congregation of Jacob was Dr M Godfrey. His brother in law was Dr Steinberg
who was a physician living opposite the shul. Dr Steinberg was also an
artist and in 1950 he painted and donated the motifs and framed artwork
above the Ark. The chazzan at the time was a Rev Moshe Zlotsky and the
chief stewards (machers-gabaim) were the Lixenberg brothers. Rev Moshe
Zlotsky was chazzan from about 1946 to 1970." On the right is a
photo of the Ark in the Congregation of Jacob.
 Dr Fenton was
Bar-Mitzvah at the Congregation of Jacob (photo left) and was called up their prior to
his wedding. Dr Fenton attended
Dempsey Street, Senrab Street and Raines foundation Schools. His Jewish
education began in Redmans Road Talmud Torah,
where the head was Rev J K Goldbloom. He learnt his first Hebrew
letters from Miss Weinberg. He continued his Jewish Education at the Eitz
Chayim Yeshiva in Thrawl Street. To the left is a photo of Raines Road
School in Cannon Street Road. Below are more photos of The
Congregation of Jacob in Commercial Road.
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Interior of
Congregation of Jacob looking towards the entrance.
Note the raised Bimah (reading desk) in the centre |
Congregation of
Jacob interior - looking towards the Ark |
Memorial in the
shape of a Torah scroll |
Congregation of
Jacob's glass roof allows natural light to enter the building |
Commercial Road Great Synagogue
  Close
by to The Congregation of Jacob in Commercial Road was the Commercial
Road Great Synagogue at 262 Commercial Rd. It closed in the late
1960s to merge with the East London Central Synagogue in Nelson Street.
The photo on the left was taken in the early 1950's and shows their
celebrated Rabbi, Rabbi Shlomo Halstuck (bearded at the table) listening
to the shul choir, while the photo on the right shows Rabbi Halstuck
speaking at a shul meeting. On his extreme right sits Sid Borstein
who financed the East End Scholarship centre Talmud Torah in Philpot
Street that closed in 1980
 Princelet Street Synagogue
(interior views left & right)
was formerly a Federation synagogue - and is now a museum of
immigration. It is located at 19 Princelet Street, off Brick Lane,
London E1. The building is a former Huguenot house built in 1722.
A Synagogue was built over the rear garden in 1862. Note the stained glass
roof. Fieldgate Street and Congregation of Jacob also have glass
roofs. The recluse David Rodinsky lived in a room above Princelet
Street synagogue for many years. He died in The Grove hospital in
Epsom, Surrey. Princelet Street was abandoned in the
1960's. I am told that when it was re-entered years later prayer books
and other items were found undisturbed on tables and pews as if the
congregation had only left for a few moments and were intending to return.
The black and white photo below was taken in October 1983 or January
1984 and is a view of Rodinsky's room just days after it had been
opened for the first time in nearly 20 years. This historic building is
now in urgent need of restoration. Photos of
the exterior and interior of Princelet Street are to the left, right &
below. Until recently the front of 19 Princelet Street was a shoe repair
shop belonging to a Mr Lipman. Read more here:
Lipman's shoe shop
above; Rodisnky's room, 19 Princelet Street,
photographed a few days after it had been opened for the first time in
nearly 20 years
|
 |
 |
 |
|
Interior of Princelet Street-view from the upstairs
ladies gallery - it was very dark the day I took these photos |
Princelet Street's glass
roof enabled natural light to come in - which made reading a whole lot
easier for Shabbat |
Princelet
Street Synagogue, 19 Princelet Street - August 2006 |
   Sandy's Row Synagogue. Sandy's Row, off
Artillery Lane. London E1 was founded in 1854 by Dutch immigrants
working mainly in the tobacco industry. It is the oldest surviving
Ashkenazi synagogue in London. The building was originally built as a
Chapel in 1766. The Dutch were economic migrants to this country who settled
in this country some years before their Russian co-religionists began
arriving in the 1880's. Many members of Sandy's Row are descended from
these early Dutch immigrants and Orange - the Dutch national colour - is a
notable feature of this synagogue's lovely interior
. Photos of the exterior & interior of Sandy's Row are to the left
and right
Photos of the exterior & interior of Sandy's Row are to the left and
right, together with a photo of Reverend David Newman (most
probably pictured here at Stepney Jewish School),
minister of Sandy's Row for nearly 45 years and who died aged 83 in 1989
Sandys Row's website is here
www.sandysrow.org.uk
  Bethnal Green Great Synagogue,
11 to 15 Bethnal Green rd
(formerly a member of the Federation of Synagogues) is
near Club Row at the North end of Brick Lane. The synagogue opened in
1924, was bombed during the war and rebuilt in 1956. Declining
attendance at services and the cost of maintaining the building forced its
closure in 1984. At the time I took these photos (2002) it was being
used as a clothing factory and much evidence of its former use was still
visible. The building has now changed hands and its elegant look wrecked. The stained glass windows
(visible in my 2002 photos above) have been removed and the roof has been
squared off as if a giant static caravan has been perched on top of it. Only
the Star of David on the front of the building remains to give a hint of its
glory days. Why did the local council allow this vandalism to happen?
 On
the left is a bookplate from a Bethnal Green Great Synagogue siddur.
The inscription reads: 'Bethnal Green Great Synagogue, presented by Mr
Samuel Landes in memory of his wife Sarah who died 26th January 1970, 19th
Shevat 5730'. This particular siddur is now in use in Nelson Street
synagogue (East London Central Synagogue, London E1).
|
 The Brady Street Ashkenazi Cemetery,
Whitechapel, London E1 - closed since 1858 - is a rural haven and contains some notable
occupants - particularly Nathan Mayer Rothschild (founder of the British
branch of the banking dynasty) who died in 1836.
Also, click Alderney Road Cemetery
to see photos from this other historic cemetery just down the road from
Brady Street in Mile
End.
 Below are some of the Jewish sites to be seen
in and around Petticoat Lane/Wentworth St, Aldgate, Whitechapel and Mile End in London's
East End. They include Goides bakers shop; the Soup Kitchen for the
Jewish Poor in Brune Street (before and after gentrification), the soup
kitchen opened in 1902 and closed as recently as 1992; Tubby Isaacs
famous Jellied eels stall in Petticoat Lane (extremely non kosher!!); Plaque
marking the former offices of the Jewish Board of Guardians at 125-129
Middlesex Street (Astral House); Wall plaque opposite the Brune Street Soup Kitchen
commemorating those whose lives have passed through the East End; The former
premises of the Machzike Hadass synagogue in Brick Lane (now a mosque);
Drinking fountain outside St Botolph's church Aldgate dedicated to
David
Frederic Mocatta (1828-1905) - Bullion broker and philanthropist;
 The King
Edward 7th memorial opposite the London Hospital in Whitechapel; Magen David
(Star of David) above 'Albert's' in Whitechapel marking the site of a long
closed Yiddish Newspaper; A street scene in the East End's famous Petticoat
Lane open air market; World War 2 bomb damaged
Bancroft Road cemetery
(photo right) in Mile End
- containing burials from Maiden Lane synagogue. Maiden Lane
synagogue amalgamated with the Western Synagogue in 1907. The Western
Synagogue (in St Alban's Place, The Strand) was demolished in 1914.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Goides a famous East End bakers/caterer, former
premises in Wentworth Street |
Soup Kitchen for the Relief of the Jewish Poor, Brune
Street in 1993. It closed in 1992 having served the East End for
90 years |
Brune Street Soup Kitchen- a recent photo now
converted to very expensive flats |
Wall plaque opposite the Soup Kitchen in Brune Street
commemorating those who have passed through the East End |
Plaque marking the site of the Jewish Board of
Guardians, 125-129 Middlesex Street |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Originally a Hugenot Chapel,the former Spitalfields
Great Synagogue (MACHZIKE HADASS), Brick Lane - now a mosque |
Drinking fountain outside St Botolph's church,
Aldgate dedicated to Frederic David Mocatta (1828-1905) - Bullion broker and
philanthropist & member of Sephardi banking dyn |
The sign above Albert's, Aldgate marking the former
offices of a Yiddish newspaper |
Edward 7th Jewish memorial, Whitechapel opposite the
London hospital, Whitechapel |
Inscription on Edward 7th memorial opposite the London
Hospital Whitechapel says: Erected from subscriptions raised by Jewish
inhabitants of East London 1910 |
Petticoat Lane market - until recently nearly every
stall holder was Jewish |
|
  To
the left is Tubby Isaacs' famous
jellied eel stall on the corner of Goulston St - supplier of slippery
jellied eels to the masses since 1919. The gentleman in the photo is
telling me that our 'Tubbs' is hiding behind the stall! The stall
was started by 'Tubby' Isaac Brenner who emigrated to the USA in 1938.
It was taken over by his assistant Solomon Gritzman who started working on
the stall at the age of 11 and who died at the age of 73 in 1982. To the right
is the former Heneage Street Synagogue that closed in 1972.
When it closed some of their members transferred to Fieldgate Street
Synagogue. It is still a remarkable looking building and retains
the look of having once been something rather special. It has been
converted into flats and is located opposite the Pride of Spitalfields pub.
If you
 look
closely enough at the buildings in and around the Brick Lane area you may
spot the occasional mezuzah still in situ on the top right hand door post of
someone's front door. For example, as on the doorpost of number 38A
Brick Lane on the corner of Fashion Street - see photo on the left.
This establishment is now the side entrance to an Asian business, but the spirits of its
former inhabitants have left their mark - long may it and they remain....
 .... Who am I? My parents were both born in and near the East
End - my mother in Mile End New Town and my father in Bermondsey. A
1917 photo of my mother, aunt, uncle, grandmother and a 'Mother Levy' nurse
is below. My mother is the little girl with the largest ribbon in her
hair. In 1918 at the age of 28 my grandmother
(who came to the
UK from Russia when a child) died in the Spanish flu
epidemic.
Following this tragedy, my mother, her brother, her sister and their father
went to live with their aunt and 8 cousins in a two bedroomed rented house
in Skidmore Street, Mile End. To help make ends meet they had assistance
from the Jewish Board of Guardians (which evolved into Jewish Care).
 If
you would like to read the transcript of a talk my mother gave to a group
of Jewish children in 1985 about her early life growing up in Mile End in the East End
of London click on
East End Jewish talk
(Double click to enlarge)
This site is dedicated to the
memory to my mother Leah - who is the little girl on the right in the photo wearing a very
large bow - photographed in 1917. She is standing next to a
nurse holding her baby brother. Her sister is on the other side
standing next to her mother (my grandmother). This elegant lady died
at the age of 28 in the flu epidemic of 1918.
back to top of page
(Double click all
photos to enlarge)
The main synagogues mentioned above are
located at the following addresses:
|
Congregation of Jacob Synagogue
351-353
Commercial Rd, London E1 2PS. |
Fieldgate Street Great Synagogue
41 Fieldgate
Street,
London E1. |
Bevis Marks Synagogue:
Bevis Marks,
London
EC3A 5DQ |
|
Nelson Street Synagogue:
(East London
Central Synagogue)
30-40 Nelson Street,
London E1 2DE. |
Sandys Row Synagogue
4a Sandys Row
London E1.
Princelet St Synagogue (now a
museum): 19 Princelet Street,
London E1 |
Settlement Synagogue (SW Essex Reform), 2-8
Beaumont Grove, London E1 4N2 |
"You've heard of Christian Dior, well I'm the Yiddisher
Dior", Jackie Brafman, Wentworth Street trader
post
script: and...., If you have ever wondered what a Torah scroll looks
like when unrolled, it looks like this:
|
|
|
|
unrolling the scroll
|
|
|
|
unrolling some more...
|
|
|
|
unrolling down the other side of the sanctuary
|
|
|
|
nearly a complete circuit...
|
|
|
|
rolling the scroll back up....wow!
|
|
|
so now you know!
Twitter: @Philslondon
website copyright of Philip
Walker
|
|
%20Synagogue.jpg)
