JCR-UK

Jewish Congregations of the City of London

and the East End of London
(London Borough of Tower Hamlets)

^{Many of the Jews in the East End were active in the Trade Union
Movement.

Among the Jewish unions was the Trousermakers' Union. Their banner was
in Yiddish with an English version on the obverse.

(Photographs courtesy of Harold Pollins}

The following congregations were within the CITY OF LONDON (the historic "One Square Mile"), generally close to the eastern boundary, and in most instances (particularly in the later period) formed a single community together with the Jews of the East End.

Registration District - London City - Register Office Website (hosted by London Borough of Islington)

Artillery Lane Synagogue, EC2 - see East End list below
The Beth Hamedrash, EC3 (later elsewhere in London)
Bevis Marks Synagogue*^{(1,3,4,5,6,7)}, EC3
Creechurch Lane Synagogue^(4,5,6,7)#, EC3
Great Synagogue^(1,4,5,6), Dukes Place, EC3
Gun Yard "Polish" Synagogue^◊, EC3
Hambro' Synagogue^(1,5), Fenchurch Street, EC3 (later moved to East End)
Kovno Chevra^#, Catherine Wheel Alley, E1
New Synagogue^(1,3,4,5,6), Leadenhall Street, EC3 and Great St. Helens, EC3 (later moved to Stamford Hill)
Polish Synagogue, Cutler Street,^(7)# E1
Rosemary Lane Congregation^◊ (Mahazike Torah) - see East End list below
Windsor Street Chevra^◊, Windsor Street, E1

The following Congregations comprised the Jewish Community of the
EAST END OF LONDON,
all situated within the boundaries of the present
LONDON BOROUGH OF TOWER HAMLETS.

Since 1 January 1983, this is also the Registration District for the whole borough
Tower Hamlets Register Office Website
List of Synagogue Marriage Registers held at Tower Hamlets Register Office

All but four of the synagogues in the borough have now closed and several were bombed during the London Blitz.

Adler Street Synagogue
Alie Street Synagogue (formerly Great Alie Street Synagogue)
Agudath Achim Synagogue (Old Castle Street Synagogue)
Artillery Lane Synagogue, EC2
Austrian (Dzikower) Synagogue⁽⁵⁾ - 30 Dunk Street.
Berners Street Hevra⁽³⁾
Bessarabia Kiev Synagogue^◊ - Fashion Street
Beth Aharon Synagogue - 181 Bow Road
Beth Jacob Synagogue - 22 Sidney Square
Beth Sholom Synagogue - Chicksand Street
Bethnal Green Great Synagogue
Bikur Cholim Congregation - 42 Lucas Street
Bikkur Cholim Chevra^◊ - Fashion Street
Bikkur Cholim Sons of Lodz Chevra^◊ - Newcastle Street
Black Lion Yard Synagogue
Booth Street Synagogue
Bow Synagogue
Bow, Bromley & Mile End Synagogue and Talmud Torah - 56 Bow Road
Buross Street Synagogue - 47a Buross Street
Cannon Street Road Synagogue
Chechanover Synagogue - 18 Fieldgate Street and 26 Old Montague Street.
Chevra Shass Synagogue - 42 Old Montague Street
Chevra Torah Synagogue - Princelet Street (Booth Street)
Clothier Street Synagogue - see city section above
Commercial Road Synagogue - 90 Commercial Road
Commercial Road Great Synagogue - 262 Commercial Road
Commercial Road Talmud Torah Synagogue - 9/11 Christian Street (now in Stamford Hill*)
Congregation of Jacob Synagogue*^(3,4,5) - Commercial Road
Crawcour Synagogue^# - Fieldgate Street
Cutler Synagogue - see City section above
Czortkow Sphardish Synagogue - Dunk Street
Dunk Street Beth Hamedrash - 44a Dunk Street
Dunk Street Sphardish Synagogue
Dzikower Synagogue⁽⁵⁾ - 30 Dunk Street.
East London Central Synagogue*⁽⁴⁾ - 30-40 Nelson Street
East London Synagogue⁽¹⁾ - Rectory Square
Ezras Chaim, Ain Yacov and Poltava Synagogue⁽⁴⁾ - Heneage Street
Fashion Court Chevra^◊
Fashion Street (Bikkur Cholim) Synagogue^◊ - 16 Fashion Street, New Court
Fashion Street (Chevra Mikrah) Synagogue⁽³⁾^◊
Fashion Street Synagogue
Fashion Street Sphardish Synagogue
Fenton Street Synagogue - 15 Fenton Street
Fieldgate Street Great Synagogue⁽⁴⁾
Fieldgate Street Sphardish Synagogue
Flasch's Synagogue - Mansell Street
Fournier Street Synagogue - 29 Fournier Street
Glory of Israel Chevra◊
Glory of Israel and Sons of Klatsk Synagogue^◊ - 50½ Hanbury Street
Goulston Street Synagogue
Great Garden Street Synagogue⁽⁴⁾ - Greatorex Street
Great Synagogue - 262 Commercial Road
Greenfield Road (Street) Synagogue
Grove Street Great Synagogue - 96 Golding Street
Gun Street Synagogue - 37A Gun Street
Hambro' Synagogue^(1,5) - Adler Street
Hanbury Street Synagogue
Hebrew Centre Synagogue - Jane Street
Hope Street Synagogue
House of David United Brethren Chevra - Fieldgate Street
Jerusalem Chevra, Union Street
Jewish Centre Synagogue - 86 Ashfield Street
Johnson Street Synagogue - 2a Johnson Street
Jubilee Street Zionist Synagogue - 165 Jubilee Street
Kalischer Synagogue^◊⁽³⁾ - St. Mark's Street
Kehal Chasidim Synagogue - 85/87 Fieldgate Street
Kehilath Israel Synagogue - 14-16 Vallance Road (later moved to Cricklewood)
Kehillath Moshe Anshe Belz Synagogue - 69 Sidney Street
Kehol Chasidim Synagogue - 5 Old Montague Street
Kiever Synagogue - Fashion Street
King Edward Street Synagogue - King Edward Street
Konin Synagogue - 48 Hanbury Street
Kovno Chevra - see City section above
Limehouse Synagogue and Talmud Torah - 22b Baythorne Street

Little Alie Street Synagogue
Little Turner Street Synagogue
Litvish Chevra Bnai Wilna^#
Lodzner Synagogue^◊ - New Goulston Street
London Chevra Torah Synagogue - Booth Street
London Jewish Hospital Synagogue^# - Stepney Green
Lovers of Peace Chevra - Tewkesbury Buildings, Whitechapel
Lovers of Peace Synagogue - 183/5 Hanbury Street
Lubiner Synagogue^◊ - 3 Lawrence Buildings, Cannon Street Road
Lubner and Lomzer Synagogue - 3 Lawrence Buildings, Cannon Street Road
Machzike Hadath Synagogue⁽⁴⁾ - Brick Lane
Machzike Shomrei Shabbat Synagogue - Booth Street
Maharish Beth Hamedrash - 62 Fieldgate Street
Mansell Street Synagogue^◊ - later Scarborough Street.
Mansell Street Synagogue^◊⁽⁶⁾ - Zussman's Synagogue
Mikrah Chevra^◊⁽³⁾ - Widegate Street and Fashion Street
Mile End and Bow District Synagogue - Harley Grove
Mile End and Bow Federated Synagogue and Chevrah Tehillim - 26 Maidmans Street, Bow
Mile End New Town Synagogue - 39 Dunk Street
Mile End Talmud Torah "Yavnah" Synagogue - 28 Cephas Street
Moses Moore's Synagogue - 66 Mansell Street
Nelson Street Synagogue (old)
Nelson Street Synagogue (new)*⁽⁴⁾ - 30-40 Nelson Street
Nelson Street Sphardish Synagogue^◊ - 38-40 Nelson Street
Neshelska Synagogue - Lawrence Buildings
New Road Synagogue - Whitechapel
Nezach Israel Beth Hamedrash - 31B Vallance Road
North Bow and Victoria Park Synagogue⁽³⁾
Ohavei Emeth Synagogue - 44a Philpot Street
Old Montague Synagogue (Chevrah Shass) - 42 Old Montague Street
Oxford & St. George's Settlement Synagogue⁽⁷⁾^◊- Betts Street
Peace & Tranquillity Synagogue⁽⁶⁾ - Buckle Street, formerly Mansell Street
Pelham Street Synagogue
Philip Street and Shadwell Synagogue
Philip Street Synagogue◊
Philpot Street Great Synagogue - 44 Philpot Street
Philpot Street Sphardish Synagogue - 39 Philpot Street
Plotsker Synagogue - 45 Commercial Road
Poltzker Synagogue^◊ - Widegate Street
Plumbers Row Synagogue
Polish Synagogue - see city section above
Poltava Synagogue⁽⁴⁾^◊ - 50½ Hambury Street
Poplar Associate Synagogue⁽³⁾ - Bazeley Street
Prescot Street Synagogue⁽³⁾ (Love and Kindness)
Princelet Street Synagogue^(1,4) - Spitalfields
Rosemary Lane Congregation^◊⁽³⁾ (Mahazike Torah)
Rosener Synagogue - 13 Buxton Street
Rumanian Synagogue - 6/7 Christian Street
St. George's Settlement Synagogue⁽⁷⁾^◊- 33 Henriques Street
St. Mary Street Synagogue - 3 St Mary Steet
Sander Street Synagogue
Sandys Row Synagogue*^(1,4,7) - Middlesex Street
Sarah Klausner Memorial Synagogue - Bow
Scarborough Street Synagogue
Settlement Synagogue⁽⁷⁾^◊^# - 33 Henriques Street
Settles Street Synagogue⁽⁴⁾ - 34 Settles Street
Shadwell and St. George's Synagogue - 191 The Highway
Shorkoff Sphardish Synagogue - Dunk Street
Sidney Street Synagogue - 101 Sidney Street
Sons of Britchan Synagogue - 23 Bromehead Street
Sons of Grodno Society Congregation - 59 Brick Lane
Special Society "Bikur Cholim" Congregation - Burslem Street
Spitalfields Great Synagogue - Brick Lane
Spital Square Synagogue^◊ - Spital Square
Spital Square Poltava Synagogue⁽⁴⁾ - 10 Spital Square and Heneage Street
Spital Street Synagogue, Spital Street
Stepney Orthodox Synagogue - Stepney Green
Stetziver Synagogue - Johnson Street
Teesdale Street Synagogue - 68-70 Teesdale Street
United Friends Synagogue - Fashion Street
United Workmen's and Wlodowa Synagogue - Cheshire Street
Vine Court Synagogue
Voice of Jacob Chevra - Pelham Street
Voice of Jacob Synagogue^◊ - 183/5 Hanbury Street
Voice of Jacob Synagogue - King Edward Street
Warsaw Lodge Synagogue - 17 Wilkes Street
Warsaw Synagogue - 37A Gun Street
Wellington Road Synagogue & B'Noth Zion Hebrew Classes
Whitechapel Road Synagogue - 192 Whitechapel Road
White's Row Synagogue - 2 White's Row
Wilkes Street Synagogue - 93 Wilkes Street
Windsor Street Chevra - see City section above
Wlodowa Synagogue - Cheshire Street
Yanover Synagogue^◊ - 45 Fashion Street & 44 Finch Street

*An active congregation.

^◊A congregation that subsequently changed its name or merged into another congregation.

^# Pages recently fully reformatted, with expanded data.

⁽¹⁾ Congregation records (as listed) in All-UK Database.

⁽²⁾ Pages with their own searchable databases.

⁽³⁾ Pages with a press report or reports on the congregation.

⁽⁴⁾ Pages with photographs.

⁽⁵⁾ Pages with articles and other contributed material.

⁽⁶⁾ Pages with browsable lists.

⁽⁷⁾ Pages with Ministers and/or Officers listed.

Search the All-UK Database

The following are records in the database associated exclusively with the City and East End of London. For records relating to London generally (which includes those relating to the the City & East End), see details on the London home page.

Marriages

Bevis Marks Synagogue, 1836 - 1918 (1,253 records);
Princelet (Princes) Street Synagogue, 1897 - 1907 (81 records);
Sandy Row Synagogue, 1894-1930 (832 records);

Burials

Novo Cemetery, Mile End, 1733 - 1918 (Spanish & Portuguese Jews Congregation), (10,732 records*);
Plashet Cemetery, Manor Park (United Synagogue), (79 records with surname Isaac or Isaacs);

School Records

The Jews' Free School Admission Register Database, initially covering the years from approximately 1856 to 1907, contains records of some 20,000 pupils, both boys and girls, at the Jews' Free School, Spitalfields, in the East End of London, including the names of the pupil and his or her parent or guardian, address, date of entry, previous school (where noted), date of birth, date of leaving and reason for leaving.

Seatholders Lists

1885, 1899 and/or 1910 (13,442 records), in respect of the following United Synagogue congregations:
East London Synagogue; the Great Synagogue; the Hambro' Synagogue; and the New Synagogue.

Census

Spitalfields (695 records).

Miscellaneous

Subscribers to an English Haggadah 1809 (210 records, all in London);
Subscribers to Jews' Orphan Asylum, Tenter Ground, Goodman's Fields, London E.1. (established 1831), including Life Governors, 1860 (1,234 records).

Click below to view London Congregations arranged as follows:

CITY/EAST END - STREET DIRECTORY
for a Street Directory of congregations in the City and East End of London.
STAMFORD HILL - STREET DIRECTORY
for a Street Directory of congregations in Stamford Hill and neighbourhood.
LONDON CONGREGATIONS (EXCEPT CITY/EAST END)
for London congregations (other than City & East End) listed alphabetically.
BY AFFILIATION
for Synagogal Organisations, with lists of affiliated congregations.
BY LONDON BOROUGH
for congregations in Greater London listed according to London Borough and Locality.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
for Alternative Names of congregations, if you cannot find a particular congregation in the above lists.
DESTROYED IN WWII
for congregations destroyed by German air raids during World War II.

Online Articles, Photographs and Other Material
relating to the Jewish Community in the City of London
and London's East End

on JCR-UK

1900 Map of East End Showing Density of Jewish Population, reproduced from Jewish History Atlas by Sir Martin Gilbert.
Poor Jews Temporary Shelter by Professor Aubrey Newman, article reproduced from Summer 1993 issue of Shemot.
Dickens Dictionary of London 1888 - section entitled Jews (PDF file)
11th Tower Hamlets Volunteers: The First Jewish Unit in the British Army by Harold Pollins, reproduced from The Bulletin of the Military Historical Society, Vol. 48, No 191, February 1998 - available on JCR-UK as part of the Susser Archive.
Jewish Listed Heritage Sites:
- City of London
- London Borough of Tower Hamlets (East End)
Bibliography:
- "The East End - London" - an article from "Kehilos in Focus" series by Rabbi David Katanka included in a selection of his writing entitled Kol Dodi (2015), pp. 145-157.
- other East End Bibliography

On third parties' website

London Cemetery Information on IAJGS Jewish Cemetery Project website.
Memory Map of the Jewish East End.
Jewish Encyclopedia article on London by Joseph Jacobs, c-1906.
The Poor Jews Temporary Shelter, London. Webpage of JewishGen Southern Africa SIG, edited by Dr. Saul Issroff.
Brady Clubs Photographic Archives - photograph archive documenting the history of the Brady Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs in London's East End.
Rabbis, rags and rainy Whitechapel - Stunning photos from the 1950s celebrate Jewish life in post-war East End. Mail Online, 14 February 2012.
Sandys Row Archive, held by the Bishopsgate Institute Archives - contains the records of Sandys Row Synagogue in the East End and its judaica collection.
Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives - a local government archive that holds the records of a large number of different Jewish community and religious organisations in Tower Hamlets ("London's East End"), including records of the Princes Street Synagogue.
Survey of London - Histories of Whitechapel, its buildings and places - including photographs, stories and research, film clips and audio recordings added by historians, local people and others with an interest in the area.

Some Other City or East End Jewish Institutions

Board of Guardians and Trustees for the Relief of Jewish Poor, founded 1859, incorporated 1920.
Oxford & St George's Club, founded 1914.
Poor Jews Temporary Shelter. Tens of thousands Jews stayed at the Shelter in Leman Street, London during the period 1896-1914. There is a searchable database maintained by the Department of History at the University of Leicester.

^{Plaque marking the site of the former offices of the Jewish Board
of Guardians,

British Jewry's foremost charitable institution, at 125-9 Middlesex
Street, London E.1.

(situated almost on the boundary between the City of London and former

Borough of Stepney, now part of London Borough of Tower Hamlets)

(Photograph provided by David Shulman)}

Useful Links

Jewish East End Celebration Society (JEECS) whose purposes include, among others, the focusing of attention on Jewish life and culture in the East End of London; disseminating information about the Jewish East End; re-establishing roots and interest in the Jewish East End; and preserving and documenting past Jewish life. Publishes the Cable magazine.

Poor Jews Temporary Shelter - A database of approx 43,000 Jews who stayed at the Shelter in Leman Street, London during the period 1896-1914

For other links, see JCR-UK - Selection of Recommended Websites.

Greater London home page

Jewish Communities of England home page

Page created: 2002
Redesigned and substantially expanded by David Shulman: 7 August 2007
Reformatted by Louise Messik: 4 November 2011
Ongoing revisions and updates by David Shulman
Latest revision or update: 5 May 2024

Jewish Congregations of the City of London

and the East End of London (London Borough of Tower Hamlets)

and the East End of London
(London Borough of Tower Hamlets)