London’s oldest Ashkenazi shul appealing for anecdotes and photos of congregants
Sandys Row Synagogue hopes to tell the stories of congregants named on its seat plaques as part of the Our Roots project
London’s oldest surviving Ashkenazi synagogue has launched an appeal for personal anecdotes and photographs of congregants named on its seat plaques.
The Grade II-listed Sandys Row Synagogue, which in its heyday reportedly drew up to 200 worshippers on Shabbat, declined in the 1970s as many Jewish families left the neighbourhood.
But the congregation, founded in 1854 on a quiet street in London’s East End by a small community of Dutch Jewish migrants, has seen its membership grow in recent years.
Now its Our Roots project, to launch online on 22 July at 7.45pm, seeks to offer snapshots of the personal lives of its members past and present.
As part of the project, the synagogue’s artist-in-residence Adam Dant captured the shul’s ornate decor and benches in “The Grand Plan”, to be exhibited in the building.
The painting has been uploaded online, with an eye to matching personal photographs and anecdotes with seat plaques. “If you and members of your family are or were associated with the Sandys Row Synagogue, London’s oldest Ashkenazi community, we want to hear from you,” Leonie Lewis, project coordinator at the shul, said on Wednesday.
“This project will provide an ongoing live, shared narrative, telling our stories, and keeping the shul at the heartbeat of the Jewish East End, the City of London and beyond,” she added.
Rose Edmands, trustee of the synagogue, said the appeal is “the first stage of our Living History project, where we are seeking support to convert our basement into a permanent exhibition centre, showcasing our rich and unique heritage.”
To contribute to the Our Roots project, visit the web page https://sandysrowsynagogue.org/your-roots/.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
