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Anglo Jewry Today

350 Years of Anglo Jewry

Updated: 30/Oct/2005 15:33

A wedding celebrated at East End synagogue in London in 1948

Photo: East End synagogue

Today, the 300,000 strong affiliated British Jewish community is roughly split into three groups.

The largest body in Anglo-Jewry is the United Synagogue which comprises of over 30,000 families as members.

On the right are the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations (dominated by Hasidic immigrants) and the Federation of Synagogues (mostly Jews of Russian-Polish descent).

And on the left are the Reform Synagogues of Great Britain and a Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues.

Voice of Jews

The voice of the Jewish community is the Board of Deputies which is recognized by the British Parliament.

The Board of Deputies is made up of delegates from every synagogue and Jewish organization to consider the issues of the day.

Over two thirds of the British Jews live in London and the surrounding area. Some of the oldest provincial communities have come under threat of extinction as the next generation moves to London to seek better prospects of employment or a stronger Jewish connection.

The three main Jewish areas of London are the North-West, the East and the Stamford Hill area.

North-West London is perhaps the largest with the most affiliated areas being Golders-Green, Hendon and Edgware.

East London has roughly the same amount of Jews but is far less affiliated, with the largest concentration in Ilford. Stamford Hill is an area populated mostly by ultra-Orthodox Jews.

The largest community found outside London is in Manchester. Other comparatively large communities are found in Leeds, Glasgow, Birmingham and Brighton.

Jewish centres

The London Museum of Jewish life is found in Finchley which offers an interesting look at Jewish London life throughout the ages. At the same site is the Sternberg Centre, which is the largest Jewish community centre in Europe.

The Board of Jewish Deputies headquarters is in north London, as are the Jewish Museum, which contains Jewish art and artifacts, and Adler House, seat of the Chief Rabbi and London Bet Din (Jewish court).

The City of London is still home to the Beavis Marks Synagogue, which although a favourite for weddings due to its spectacular use of candle-light, is little more than a museum and a registered building as few Jews have remained in the area.

British Jewry is rapidly shrinking with inter-marriage rates nearing the half-way mark like in most western countries.

"The future of British Jewry has a strong institutional base but is desperately in need of a shot in the arm to change the tide," Woolf Perez said. Perez is a past member of the Board of Deputies and ex-Chairman of the Zionist Federation of Great Britain.

350 years of Anglo Jewry

	350 Years of Anglo Jewry
	Anglo Jewry Today
	A Lord’s vision for UK Jewry
	9 Famous British Jews