Our Heritage This is the oldest Ashkenazi synagogue in London. It is the most important site, still in use, that connects back to the start of the great 19th Century migration of poor Ashkenazi Jews into Britain. Our building is almost 250 years old. In 1763 a French Huguenot community, meeting off Petticoat Lane, purchased an old chapel and it’s freehold on this site for £400. L'Eglise d’Artlllerie was dedicated in late November 1766. It remained open until 1786, when it merged with the London Walloon Church. For the next fifty years, the church was let out to several Baptist congregations, becoming known as Salem Chapel and then Parliament Court Chapel. In 1853/4 about 50 poor Dutch Jewish families founded a chevrah, or kind of Friendly Society with a small synagogue attached. Chebrath Menahem Abelim Chesed Ve'Emeth (Society for the care of mourners, for loving-kindness and for truth) was the first of its kind; many more were formed in the following 50 years as large numbers of Jews arrived from poverty and persecution in Central/Eastern Europe. The community has always had a uniquely independent streak. By 1867, it had grown to five hundred members when it acquired leasehold of the French chapel in 1867, having found a champion in architect Nathan Joseph. It was particularly suitable because it had a balcony and was on an East-West axis, albeit facing westwards. Joseph blocked up the original entry (still visible) and formed a new one in Sandys Row together with a new three storey building for offices and caretaker’s accommodation. In 1870, this Ashkenazi synagogue was formally consecrated by the leading Sephardi rabbi, Haham Benjamin Artom from nearby Bevis Marks Synagogue, because the Chief Rabbi (the leading Ashkenazi Rabbi) opposed the establishment of a new synagogue in the area. This was the largest of the congregations that founded the Federation of Synagogues in November 1887. It left the Federation in 1899, became an associate of the United Synagogue in 1922, and finally seceded from the United Synagogue in 1949. The basement stores of the synagogue contain Jewish artefacts, prayer-books and documents dating back into the 18th Century, with much important material depicting East End Jewish life before and after the Second World War. Today, there is a regular afternoon service on weekdays for city workers, as well as Shabbat and Festival services (usually at weekends). A women-only service will be starting shortly and there are regular tours. At the heart of Sandys Row are its members, and the generations of lay and spiritual leadership without whom it would not have survived. Many are now elderly and retain unique oral histories. There is also an increasing number of newcomers and descendants attracted back to Sandys Row by the unique informal spirituality, the friendliness and the historic resonance. | Our Five Year Vision 1) Preserve the building We are committed to ensuring the fabric of the building inside and out is safe. The refurbished roof will be followed by renewed wiring, health and safety features and disabled access. 2) Conserve and catalogue We urgently need to collect the oral histories, and catalogue and conserve our artefacts. 3) Strengthen community life and community connections We are building our programme of religious and cultural activity and our partnerships. 4) Create a heritage educational centre We are now investigating the feasibility of creating a much needed Jewish East End Heritage Centre, to house our collection and much else besides, utilising the hidden lower ground floor that extends across the entire cross section of the site. |
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BACKGROUND BRIEFING: BRIDGING THREE CENTURIESposted 11 May 2009 23:38 by Jack Gilbert [ updated 12 May 2009 01:21 ] |