Our Hidden Histories

The Digital Archive Project for Sandys Row Synagogue

Award winning film makers Phil Maxwell and Hazuan Hashim made a short film documenting the first stage of this project.

Sandys Row Synagogue was founded in 1854 by Dutch immigrants from Amsterdam and is now London’s oldest Ashkenazi Synagogue and the last still functioning in Spitalfields, in the heart of the former Jewish East End. The Hidden Histories project celebrates the unique story of this historic community through making the Sandys Row archive available digitally. Watch the film to learn more about the development of this project, scroll through the Timeline to uncover key moments in Sandys Row’s story and explore the extensive Digital Archive which includes: excerpts from the oral history collection, searchable marriage records, minute books, seat registers and more, along with photographs of our collection of Judaica. To see the original artefacts visit the Special Collections at the Bishopsgate Institute Archives to arrange a visit to Sandys Row Synagogue see here.

Award winning film makers Phil Maxwell and Hazuan Hashim made a short film documenting the first stage of this project.

Timeline

1763

1763

French Huguenot Protestants purchased the plot where Sandys Row Synagogue now stands in 1763 for £400 and erected...

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1840

1840

From the 1840s onwards nearly a thousand Dutch Jews, mainly from Amsterdam, settled in a small area in...

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1846

1846

This tight knit Dutch Jewish community, who were known locally as ‘The Chuts’ had their own practises and...

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1850

1850

Most of the newly arrived Dutch Jews were skilled workers, predominately involved in the trades of cigar and...

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1850

1850

This recently discovered document is the oldest archival document in the Sandys Row collection and tells us a...

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1854

1854

In 1853 fifty Dutch Jewish families formed a Hebra (friendly society) called the Hevrat Menahem Avalim Hesed v'Emeth,...

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1867

1867

Nathan Solomon Joseph, one of the most famous synagogue architects of the time remodelled the chapel, keeping many...

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1868

1868

A hand painted plaque written in beautiful Hebrew script, thanking fifty women from the Sandys Row community who...

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1870

1870

The consecration ceremony for Sandys Row Synagogue was performed in 1870 by the Haham (the head rabbi of...

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1887

1887

In November 1887, Sandys Row Synagogue was the largest of the East End congregations that founded the Federation...

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1892

1892

'The Lane was always the great market-place, and every insalubrious street and alley abutting on it was covered...

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1900

1900

This Prayer Book was published in Vienna in 5660 - 1900. The book is in Hebrew and English....

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1905

1905

A velum commissioned by the entire community to honour the board of management of 1905 “for having at...

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1907

1907

The most popular day to be married from 1905-1912 was Christmas day, which seems a strange date at...

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1919

1919

In 1919 this beautiful hand painted certificate was presented to board member Mr J.S.Polak for his services to...

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1940

1940

Approximately 1.5 million Jews fought in the regular Allied armies. In many cases the percentage of Jews fighting...

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1944

1944

During the Second World War, the synagogue was not directly hit but shock waves from bombing nearby damaged...

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1954

1954

This plaque was produced in celebration of Sandys Row Synagogue's 100 year anniversary which took place October 24...

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1955

1955

In the 1950s, Sandys Row Synagogue flourished. On Shabbat there was always 100 to 200 people there, and...

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1960

1960

During the 1950’s and 1960’s,The Synagogue held many popular dances with live music. Bands such as Baker and...

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1973

1973

As Jewish people moved out of East London, to North London, Essex and other areas, so the number...

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1990

1990

By the early 1990s, the Synagogue had nearly closed down and it struggled to achieve a minyan. Most...

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2018

2018

Membership of Sandys Row Synagogue is slowly increasing once again with a new Jewish generation moving back into...

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Project in progress

Removing material from Sandys Row Synagogue to The Bishopsgate Archives

The most important archival material at Sandys Row Synagogue (which is not in permanent use by synagogue) had been stored for many decades in a very haphazard way in the large metal locked safe in the vestry. In consultation with (and with the full support of) the board members I arranged for a team of archivists from the Bishopsgate Institute to come to Sandys Row and safely remove this material from the safe to the archives, where has been conserved, catalogued and preserved properly for the future.
Some of the handwritten material from the safe at Sandys Row Synagogue

Sandys Row Synagogue have signed an agreement with The Bishopsgate Institute Archives to ensure that all of the material that has been removed from the synagogue still belongs to them but for now, it is on permanent loan to Bishopsgate. If and when the synagogue have the correct facilities for showing this material it will be returned to the synagogue for exhibition purposes.
Stefan and Terese use the trolley to transport material to nearby Bishopsgate Archives

Volunteer Terese Brochner Christensen with head archivist Stefan Dickers from Bishopsgate outside Sandys Row Synagogue removing the fragile handwritten material to the Bishopsgate Institute Archives where it will be safely preserved and conserved for the future.
Register of Marriages from Sandys Row Synagogue safely in the archives

After the material from the synagogue had been carefully catalogued it was placed in acid free boxes in the basement of the Bishopsgate Archives where it will remain in the correct conditions to preserve it properly for the future.
Oral History Workshop

The first of many training days for volunteers took place in early October when BBC sound recordist Matt Hill came to Sandys Row Synagogue for the day to train volunteers on the correct use of our newly purchased recording equipment. During this full day workshop he covered; handling equipment and mics, how to develop rigorous admin practises, training in basic sound editing skills as well as various exercises in using the equipment.
Recruiting volunteers

One of the first jobs when this project started was to recruit willing volunteers to work on the project. We had many applicants and in all 15 volunteers have been working on the project. They come from a great range of ethnic backgrounds and have varying amounts of experience in archive and oral history work. Some are members of Sandys Row Synagogue, others, such as Janice Jackson are retired and have experience of working with elderly Jewish people, others are recent graduates and post graduates with a particular interest in Jewish history, archiving and oral history techniques, most live locally and so far there has been a very productive and engaged working atmosphere amongst this group of enthusiastic volunteers.
Training Day at Sandys Row

This picture shows one of many training days that took place at Sandys Row for the volunteers throughout the duration of this project. Here Terese is with BBC sound recordist Matt Hill, learning how to edit sound with Audacity and practising interview techniques.
Rochelle and Yosef remember

Whilst researching in the local area we met non Jewish and Jewish local residents who remembered the former Jewish East End. Rochelle Cole who we interviewed for the project is seen here speaking with Bengali resident Yosef about his memories of Jewish Spitalfields.
Filming in Sandys Row Synagogue

Rachel Lichtenstein interviewing 86 year old Harry Gilbert in Sandys Row Synagogue whilst being filmed by filmmakers Phil Maxwell and Hazuan Hashim. Volunteers watched and learnt about interview techniques before asking their own questions to Harry.
Harry Gilbert

Harry Gilbert being interviewed and filmed in Sandys Row Synagogue for the Our Hidden Histories Project. Harry had his Barmitzvah at Sandys Row, he was married in the building and now he is on the board of the synagogue and he still attends regular services making him the perfect interviewee!
Janice researching at London Met Archives

As part of the project we also visited the London Metropolitan Archives to explore their collections. We found a wealth of information on the Jew's Free School there and some wonderful pictures of the local area.
Walking tour of Jewish Spitalfields

The volunteers learnt about the Jewish history of the area by spending a day on a guided walking tour around West Spitalfields and the Brick Lane area with Project Manager Rachel Lichtenstein who has worked as a tour guide of the Jewish East End for over 20 years.
Exploring the basement

After careful searching the volunteers discovered a wealth of new material in the basement of the synagogue which was then removed to Bishopsgate Archives for safe keeping.
Lola examining Hebrew texts in the basement

As the only fluent Hebrew reader on the project, volunteer Lola Majeks has helped tremendously in the translation of some of the ancient texts at Sandys Row.
Nathan and Lola practise interview techniques

During the workshops volunteers had the opportunity to practise with the equipment and try out interview techniques on each other.
Volunteer Jo Till interviewing Julius Waldman

The volunteers have conducted interviews with elderly members and former members of Sandys Row, travelling all over London to speak to people about their memories of the building and the local area. When completed these interviews will be deposited in the Bishopsgate Institute Archives for the future.
Website and sound editing workshop

As the project progressed the vestry in Sandys Row got busier! Here we can see Mick from London Media Tech teaching volunteers how to upload onto the website and Matt Hill running a sound editing workshop at the same time.
Harvey Rifkind, President of Sandys Row Synagogue

To help volunteers learn more about the history of the building, Harvey Rifkind, the current president of Sandys Row gave a lecture about the story of the synagogue, which was filmed as part of the project.
Photographing Torah scrolls

Volunteers Hari and Nathan lay out one of the synagogue's collection of Torah scrolls in preparation for photographing and repackaging in archive boxes. This scroll was 'presented in loving memory of Jenny Less by her devoted husband' in 1961.
Weekly meeting

Rachel and the volunteers met every Tuesday at Sandys Row synagogue, taking a break when the synagogue's lunchtime service took place. This image shows the project members waiting to go back into the vestry after lunch. Many of the lunchtime service attenders work in the local vicinity.
Rosemary reading her father's correspondence

Whilst exploring what records were held in the basement of Sandys Row, volunteer Rosemary found correspondence between her father and the synagogue about his payment of burial society fees. Rosemary has a connection to the synagogue going back at least three generations and frequently discovered people she knew or was related to in the Sandys Row records.
Sound editing oral history interviews

Once the oral history interviews were completed full length originals were added to the Sandys Row archive collection. The interviews were also used to make 2-3 minute sound edits to feature on the project website, alongside short biographies of the interviewees. This image is of volunteers Jo and Lola making sound edits of the interviews they conducted.
Volunteer Robert Jeffrey from London Met University exploring documents from the Sandys Row collection at Bishopsgate to scan and upload for the Hidden Histories website.
Creative Writing students Niamh and Rowan transcribing records from Sandys Row collection at Bishopsgate for the website.
Volunteer Amanda Fuller working at Bishopsgate on the long job of transcribing the marriage records from the Sandys Row collection before posting them on the website. Amanda has noted how particularly in the early years of the twentieth century how the majority of people (both men and women) getting married at Sandys Row were still working in the traditional Dutch trades of cigar manufacturing and diamond polishing, along with boot and cap makers and fruiters.

Contact

Address
4a Sandys Row,Spitalfields,London,E1 7HW

Telephone
020 7377 6196

Email
info@ourhiddenhistories.com

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