Congregation of Jacob Synagogue

Name:

Synagogue of the Congregation of Jacob

Alternative Name:

Kehillas Ya'akov

Address:

351-353 Commercial Road⁽ⁱ⁾, Stepney, London E1 2PS (consecrated in 1921)
Note: there was a Commercial Road Synagogue at 351 Commercial Road in 1919 (according to the Jewish Year Book 1920), which presumably refers to this congregation.

Incorporated Congregations:

Bikur Cholim (Visitors of Sick).
of 42 Lucas (now Lukin) Street⁽ⁱⁱ⁾, London E1.

Chevra Yisroel (Society of Israel)

Stetziver Synagogue
of Johnson Street⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾, London E1.

Current Status:

Active - "Last remaining East European folk art synagogue in the East End."

Date Founded:

1903

Ritual:

Orthodox - Ashkenazi

Affiliation:

Independent, but with affiliations to the Federation of Synagogues, of which it was a member.

A section of members were, and some may still be, affiliated for burial rights to the West End Great Synagogue

The congregation claims to be Britain's first Mizrachi (religious Zionist) synagogue.

Website:

http://www.congregationofjacobsynagogue.org/

Membership Data:

1919  -   75 members^(iv)

Local Government Districts:

Commercial Road is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and was previously (until 1 April 1965), in the former Metropolitan Borough of Stepney.^(v).

Commercial Road ran through a number of civil parishes. It started in the east in the civil parish of Whitechapel, then it formed the boundary between the civil parish of Mile End Old Town (in which was situated the Congregation of Jacob Synagogue) and the civil parish of St George in the East, then moved fully into the civil parish of Mile End Old Town, then into the civil parish of Ratcliff, and finally into the civil parish of Limehouse. The civil parish of Ratcliff was abolished in 1921, being absorbed into Limehouse and the other civil parishes mentioned were abolished in 1927, being absorbed into Stepney Borough parish, which was abolished in 1965.

Cemetery
Information:

• Cemeteries of the Federation of Synagogues

• Cemeteries of the West End Great Synagogue

Notes & Sources (↵ returns to text above)

• (i) Commercial Road is a major road in London's East End. Forming part of the A13, it extends east some two miles from Gardiners Corner (Aldgate East Underground Station) in the west to the junction with Burdett Road, Limehouse, in the east, where the road continues as the East India Dock Road. The synagogue is on the north side of Commercial Road, just to the west of Jubilee Street, about three-quarters of a mile east of Gardiners Corner. .  ↵

• (ii) Lukin Street (formerly Lucas Street) runs south 500 feet from Commercial Road, approximately one-third mile east of Cannon Street Road.  ↵

• (iii) Johnson Street runs north 300 feet from Cable Street, approximately half a mile east of Cannon Street Road.  ↵

• (iv) Jewish Year Book 1920 - reference to 351 Commercial Road.  ↵

• (v) The London Borough of Tower Hamlets, an Inner London Borough that covers much of the traditional London East End, was created on 1 April 1965 upon the merger of the former Metropolitan Boroughs of Stepney, Bethnal Green and Poplar. These had been within the (then abolished) County of London (established in 1899).  ↵