Jewish Life | Local History | ReligionPartially online Liberal Judaism Archives The Liberal Judaism Archives are open to members of the public by appointment and contain historical material from 1898 to the present day, from both the national movement and the Liberal Jewish communities of Britain. Archive Description The archives hold the communal records of the national movement which began as the Jewish Religious Union in 1902, was later renamed the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues, and is now known as Liberal Judaism. There is also information on activities that led to the formation of the Union, and its communities. This includes correspondence on potential communities that were not formed and communities that have since left Liberal Judaism. The earliest holdings are manuscripts from 1898 and the collection continues to the present day. It has items both from the national movement and from our communities around the United Kingdom, and elsewhere in Europe. Some of these are in large cities and towns and others are in smaller, more rural places. The archive includes prayerbooks and service booklets, minutes, letters and correspondence, press cuttings, circulars, newsletters and magazines, cash books, oral histories, leaflets and pamphlets, youth movement magazines, flyers, t-shirts, badges, memorabilia from events, students packs, outreach reports, CDs, DVDs, photographs, posters, trophies, and much more. Access Information The archive is open to the public by appointment only. A lot of the more frail material has been passed to the The London Archives, also in Central London, on long-term loan and may be viewed there by arrangement. The archive has listings of this and of other material that has been deposited at the Anglo-Jewish Archives at the University of Southampton. The Archivist can send out the catalogue in hard copy or email on request, and can be contacted here. Access requires two weeks advance notification. Street Address The Montagu Centre21 Maple StreetLondonW1T 4BE https://www.liberaljudaism.org/resources/lj-historical-archive
Communal Records | Jewish Life | Local History | Religion | SocialPartially online Hackney Archives Hackney Archives holds the archives and local history collections of the London Borough of Hackney. Alongside the records of the local authority, the archive collection holds records of local businesses, clubs, societies, religious organisations, families and individuals. It holds a number of historic Jewish collections that evidence the contributions of the Jewish residents to the fabric of Hackney. Archive Description Collections of Jewish interest include: Deeds evidencing the consistent presence of Jewish residents of Hackney, including of the Da Costa and Rothschild families; the papers of Jewish Councillors and Mayors of Hackney and predecessors including of Sir Louis and Lady Sherman, Councilor John Stanton JP and Sam Cohen; material from Jewish societies including minute books and membership records of The Workers Circle Friendly Society and printed material of the Lubavitch Foundation; Jewish family collections including chemist and local historian Israel Renson, and the Kinn family who were members of the Hasidic Jewish community in Stamford Hill; Council records include information about the administration of specialist services and funds for the Orthodox Jewish Community; and the records of Hackney Downs School, once described as the ‘Jewish Eton’ by the Jewish Chronicle, including editions of the school magazine, clubs and administrative records. The local history library located on-site includes reading on Jewish communities in the East End as well as a wide ranging collection of pamphlets. Access Information The archive is open to members of the public, weekly Wednesday to Friday. Access requires one form of photographic ID and one proof of address. Enquiries can be made to archives@hackney.gov.uk Digital Accessibility An archive catalogue can be found online. The archive’s image database – searchable through the catalogue – has a collection of photographs of the area, including shop fronts of Jewish businesses and religious buildings. The images are free to browse but the archive charges for non-watermarked copies. They are looking to expand their digital offering with digitised documents but this is not currently available. Street Address Dalston CLR James Library, Dalston SquareDalston, LondonE8 3BQ https://hackney.gov.uk/archives
Communal Records | Jewish Life | Local HistoryPartially online Brent Museum and Archives Kenton Synagogue Jewish Youth Club, 1968-1969, Wembley History Society image, from Wembley News • Brent Museum and Archives Brent Museum and Archives is a Local Authority archive, administered by Brent Council. It holds local history material relating the Jewish everyday life in the borough, as well as communal records for Jewish organisations within the area. Archive Description The archive holds a variety of material relating to the local area, from Alperton to Uxendon. It holds and collects the records of Brent Council and its predecessors from the seventeenth century onwards. The collection also includes archives of Brent businesses, institutions, societies, families and individuals as well as maps, local newspapers, periodicals, press cuttings and ephemera. In addition we have a Local History Library consisting of printed books about the area of Brent and its communities. These records cover the history of the local Jewish population. Access Information The Archives are open to members of the general public. Users of the archive search room have to sign up for a library card, for which proof of name and address is required. To access material held off-site, a request must be made at least 3 working days in advance. Material already available in the search room can be accessed on a drop-in basis. This includes:• local pamphlet boxes• local history reference books• local history society publications• directories• electoral registers Archive opening hours can be found on their website. Online Accessibility An online catalogue for the Archives can be found on the Brent Council website. Image and photograph collections can be found in this catalogue. For hi-res copies of images, you can contact the Archives, and they can be supplied for a fee. The Archives can be reached at: museum.archives@brent.gov.uk. Street Address The Library at Willesden Green – second floor95 High RoadWillesdenLondonNW10 2SF https://www.brent.gov.uk/libraries-arts-and-heritage/brent-museum-and-archives
Communal Records | Cultural | Jewish Life | Local HistoryPartially online Rainbow Jews Rainbow Jews is an archiving project by Liberal Judaism, and held at The London Archives. Launched in October 2012, Rainbow Jews is a pioneering project that records and showcases Jewish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) history from the 1950s to today. It captures the voices and experiences of Jewish LGBT people in the UK through oral histories and archive creation. Archive Description The Rainbow Jews collection includes the oral histories, transcripts and photographs documenting LBGT Jewish history from the 1950’s until the present days. It is part of an set of projects undertaken by Liberal Judaism, including Rainbow Jews, Twilight People and Rainbow Pilgrims projects. It was supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and includes over 35 oral histories and testimonies, as well as photographs of the participants as well as material donated to the project. Access Information The archive is held at the The London Archives, and access information can be found on their page. Digital Accessibility Parts of the archive are available online at the project’s website, including video interviews with participants. https://www.rainbowjews.com
Family History | Jewish Life | Local History | ReligionPartially online Lily’s Legacy Project The Lily’s Legacy Project is a heritage project organised by Liberal Judaism. It is deposited at the London Metropolitan Archive and online, and supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Archive Description Lily’s Legacy: The Radical History of Liberal Judaism is a faith community heritage project that documents and showcases Liberal Judaism’s rich heritage as well as its contribution to British society, while preserving legacy for future generations. It examines how Liberal Judaism embodies the vision of its founders – and in particular Lily Montagu – today and throughout its history. The collection includes oral histories, transcripts, films, photographs and educational resources. As part of the project a groundbreaking multi-media exhibition ‘Voices and Visions of Liberal Judaism’ was created and it features memories and mementos of Liberal and Progressive Jews in the UK. Digital Accessibility More information about the project can be found on the website, and there is an online exhibition available. Home
Communal Records | Family History | Local History | ReligionPartially online Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre The Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre is the local government archive and library for the London Borough of Camden and holds a large collection of material about historic Jewish life in the Borough, including organisational records, a newspaper archive, and books to aid in research. Archive Description The archive and library hold materials relating to the London Borough of Camden area including books, local authority archives, archives of organisations, archives of individuals, reports, directories, newspapers, periodicals, census records press cuttings, ephemera, posters, maps, plans, photographs, illustrations, videos and oral histories. Many of these relate to Jewish communities and individuals who lived in the Borough, including information about the Jewish Museum in Camden, a large collection of books about Jewish geneology, and the Jewish Free School (JFS) until 2002. Access Information The archives are open to members of the public by appointment. One hour appointments are available on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. No photographic identification is required, but no pens may be used and prior permission must be given before copying documents. Enquiries can be made to the Local Studies email address: localstudies@camden.gov.uk. Online Accessibility The archive has an online catalogue, available here. Some material may be accessed online free of charge, but there are charges for using material outside of research and for providing copies. Street Address 2nd Floor, Holborn Library32-38 Theobalds RoadLondonWC1X 8PA https://www.camden.gov.uk/about-the-local-studies-archives-centre
Communal Records | Family History | Immigration | Jewish Life | Local HistoryPartially online Surrey History Centre Surrey History Centre is a local government archive administered by Surrey County Council. It holds the records of the Jewish communities of Surrey as well as other digitised material. Archive Description Surrey History Centre collects and preserves the records of Surrey’s past and present, documenting the story of the county and its people from the 12th century to the 21st century. Amongst its archive holdings are records of specific Jewish families and communities in Surrey. These include collections and items relating to homes, schools and hostels that opened in Surrey specifically to accommodate people escaping Nazi oppression in the 1930s and 1940s, such as Stoatley Rough School in Haslemere; Weir Courtney in Lingfield; and Rowledge House Hostel, near Farnham. It holds records of Kingston Synagogues, including DVDs of Holocaust Memorial Day school workshops by Auschwitz survivor, Martin Bennett, and Kindertransportee, Bronia Snow. It also hold papers of prominent 19th and 20th century individuals and families including banker and philanthropist, Sir Edward and Lady Stern of Fan Court, Lyne; the Sassoon family of Ashley Park, Walton-on-Thames; Polish poet and playwright, Marian Hemar of Coldharbour, Dorking; Polish architects, Edward Henrik Hartry (né Edek Herzbaum) and Teresa Krystyna Hartry of Woking; and philanthropist Leopold Salomons of Norbury Park, Mickleham, who gifted Box Hill to the nation. Access Information The archives are open to the general public and can be accessed by booking a session in their public search rooms to consult the records. The archives can be accessed Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 09:45-12:45 and 13:45-16:45. Visitors are asked to bring either a Surrey Libraries Card, Archives Card, or proof of identity including address – such as a driving license or utility bill. The Centre asks that you provide at least two working days notice in advance. Enquiries can be made by email to shs@surreycc.gov.uk, and visitors should pre-order records at least two days in advance of their visit. Digital Accessibility The Surrey History Centre catalogue can be found online, and digital material such as indexes and thumbnail images on the catalogue are available for free. High resolution images of many of the records can also be purchased. The Centre commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day each year with a dedicated webpage on the Exploring Surrey’s Past website and in 2021 they produced a podcast to commemorate the day which is available on YouTube. In addition, the Exploring Surrey’s Past website hosts the Stoatley Rough School Historical Trust content which includes photographs of former pupils and staff, a history of the founding of the school, a profile of the founders, descriptions of learning and leisure time, as well as archive film footage from 1938. It also has digital copies of two United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) collections which can be viewed in the public search room. They are:• Material of Alice Goldberger of Berlin (1897-1986), head of a post-war hostel for child Holocaust survivors at Weir Courtney, Lingfield;• Material of John (Hans) Goldmeier (1928-2002), pupil at Stoatley Rough School, Haslemere. Street Address Surrey History Centre130 Goldsworth RoadWokingSurreyGU21 6ND http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/surreyhistorycentre
Communal Records | Family History | Jewish Life | Local HistoryPartially online Tyne & Wear Archives Consecration of Ravensworth Terrace Synagogue 1925 • Tyne and Wear Archives The Lahav Jewish Heritage Project is an archiving project managed by the Tyne & Wear Archives, and held in the Discovery Museum, Newcastle upon Tyne. It holds material about the Jewish community of Newcastle. Archive Description The Lahav Jewish Heritage project was initially established in 2017 to collect, preserve and celebrate the rich history of the Jewish community in North East England, from the 1700s to the present day. The project is jointly managed by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM) and Newcastle Libraries in partnership with members of the Newcastle Jewish communities. Within TWAM the project is run jointly by Tyne & Wear Archives and by Discovery Museum. The project was made possible by a generous bequest from the Ron Lahav Marital Trust (from which the project takes its name) to Newcastle City Council in 2017. Tyne & Wear Archives hold a very significant collection of archives which document the heritage of the unique and varied Jewish communities, organisations and individuals from across the region. The records include official and administrative records from a large number of now closed synagogues, the records of the Representative Council of North East Jewry, cemetery and ChevraKadishas records, educational records and have a particular strength in documenting the story of Jewish business, charitable, cultural and leisure organisations which developed in the region. The Lahav Jewish heritage project has further enhanced these collections with the additional of a significant number of oral histories and a documentary film. Access Information The Tyne & Wear Archives Searchroom is open to members of the public. Some of the Jewish records in the collections require permission from the depositor for access. Some records have restrictions placed on them to comply with data protection regulations. Access is via the public searchroom at Discovery Museum in Newcastle. Copying and paid research services are also available. For more info please email: archives@twmuseums.org.uk To visit the archive booking must be made at least 7 days in advance via the online booking link on the website. Digital Accessibility The Archives currently have a small amount of digital material available, and digitisation is planned to increase this amount. A photographic survey of Jewish gravestones from North-East cemeteries is available online. An catalogue is also available on the archive website. Street Address Tyne & Wear ArchivesDiscovery MuseumBlandford SquareNewcastleNE1 4JA http://www.twarchives.org.uk
Communal Records | Cultural | Family History | Jewish Life | Local HistoryPartially online Redbridge Museum & Heritage Centre Redbridge Museum & Heritage Centre is the community history museum and archive for the London Borough of Redbridge. It holds a collection of material about Jewish life in the Borough, including organisational records, a newspaper archive, and books to aid in research. Archive Description Redbridge Museum and Heritage Centre hold materials relating to the London Borough of Redbridge area including books, local authority archives, archives of organisations and individuals, reports, directories, newspapers, periodicals, ephemera, posters, maps, plans, photographs, illustrations, film and oral histories, as well as providing digital access to census and other records. Jewish collections include objects, ephemera and oral histories about Ilford Jewish Primary School; three reports into Redbridge Jewry by the Jewish Board of Deputies, 1979-83; local newspaper cuttings book about the Redbridge Jewish community 1972-1979 and 1980-1984; ‘Redbridge Extra’ newspaper, supplement to the Jewish Chronicle newspaper, 1973; archive of Newbury Park Synagogue 1968-2015; photographs of ancestors of current Redbridge residents who fought in First World War; Redbridge Jewish Community Video Magazine, 1983; film of wedding of Lyn and Richard Brookes at Ilford District Synagogue,1973; interview with members of Barkingside Jewish Youth Centre, 1999; interview with Dr Israel Segal, GP in Seven Kings, 1947 – 1973; three other oral histories with local Jewish people; Access Information The Heritage Centre is open to the general public, but require an appointment to be made five days in advance. These enquiries can be made to: info.heritage@visionrcl.org.uk Digital Accessibility The Heritage Centre does not have a catalogue available, but it has made two films from its collection available online: Wedding footage from 1973, and the Redbridge Video Review from October 1983. Street Address Redbridge Museum & Heritage CentreRedbridge Central LibraryClements RoadIlford, EssexIG1 1EA Redbridge Heritage Centre
Communal Records | Jewish Life | Local HistoryPartially online Brady Photographic Archive Dymchurch Camp, 1949 (A0003B) • Brady Photographic Archive The Brady Photographic Archive is an online photography, memorabilia, and oral histories archive documenting the history of the Brady Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs. Archive Description The Archive constitutes a collection of hundreds of photographs taken between the 1930s and the late 1970s at the Brady Boys’ Club in Durward Street E1 (est. 1896), and Brady Girls’ Club in Hanbury Street E1 (est. 1925) in London’s East End. In 1960 the Brady boys joined the girls in Hanbury Street. This archive of photographs, memorabilia and oral histories is based on a cache of several hundred photographs that had been ‘lost’ for many years. The initial collection of photographs had been rescued by journalist and former editor of the Sunday Times Hannah Charlton (who had an interest in youth culture) when the Museum of Labour History in Limehouse closed. They were stored in an attic awaiting the right project but subsequently forgotten for nearly 40 years until Hannah rediscovered them in 2016, when they found their way back to the East End and to Susan Andrews, Reader in Photography at the Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design at London Metropolitan University. In 2017, in order to discover more about the history of the photographs, an exhibition entitled, ‘Nostalgia is Not Enough’, was organised at the former Art School building opposite the Whitechapel Gallery, during which a group of old Bradians visited. Consequently, a committee was established to identify the photographs and re-establish connections with former Brady Club members. Since then, the committee has worked to produce further exhibitions examining the histories of the Brady Boys’ Club, the Brady Girls’ Club, and the legacy of the Clubs. The Brady Photographic Archive website contains a greatly expanded selection from the cache of ‘lost’ photos that forms the basis of the collection, held at the Bishopsgate Institute in London, where the physical collection can be viewed by the public. The online collection continues to evolve as former Brady members contribute photographs, their personal histories, and memorabilia from their personal collections. Further items of Brady Clubs’ photographs, memorabilia, and particularly magazines and architects’ plans, can be found at Tower Hamlets Library and Archives. Online Accessibility The archive photographs can be found freely available on the Brady Archive website. A growing collection of edited oral histories that provide context to the Brady story and the lives of its members is available at the Brady Memory Map. You can stay up to date with the work of the Brady Photographic Archive on Instagram. Enquiries about the archive collection can be made on the website’s contact page. https://www.bradyarchive.co.uk Brady Social Dance Night at a Brady Club • Brady Photographic Archive Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives Commercial | Communal Records | Local HistoryPartially online Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives is a local government archive in East London. It holds the records of a large […] Bishopsgate Institute Library and Archive Commercial | Cultural | Jewish Life | Local HistoryOnly online Bishopsgate Institute Library and Archive is a free, independent library and archive open to the public. Its collection contains material about London, […]
Cultural | Family History | Holocaust | ImmigrationPartially online Sir Nicholas Winton Archive The Sir Nicholas Winton Archive is a private family archive available to researchers, educators, and descendants. It is operated by the Sir Nicholas Winton Memorial Trust and holds personal papers, photographs, newspaper cuttings, and other documents. Archive Description The Sir Nicholas Winton Archive was donated to the Sir Nicholas Winton Memorial Trust in 2019 by his daughter, Barbara Winton. It contains a wealth of documentary material about Sir Nicholas’ personal life (1909-1938 and 1950-2015), war service (1939-1946), as well as his work organising the Kindertransport and its later effects (1938-2015). The archive also contains photographs taken by Sir Nicholas, newspaper cuttings from 1988-2015, and an audio visual archive consisting of tapes and DVDs of programmes and interviews. Access Information The archive can be accessed by request. Researchers should make an appointment with the archive via the Sir Nicholas Winton website, and other requests can be emailed to info@nicholaswinton.com . Access times for the archive can be arranged once a request for use is made. Online Accessibility The archive hopes to make an online catalogue of the material available in the near future, but some material in available on the website. http://www.nicholaswinton.com
Commercial | Communal Records | Cultural | ImmigrationPartially online Ben Uri Archive Invitation to a Simchas Torah evening 1932 • Ben Uri Collection The Ben Uri Archive is a specialist archive accessible to the public held by the Ben Uri Gallery and Museum, based in London. It holds the records of the Gallery and Museum. Archive Description Ben Uri is the UK’s oldest Jewish cultural organisation, founded in 1915 as an art society serving newly-arrived Yiddish speaking ostjuden in London’s East End,by Russian émigré artist-craftsman, Lazar Berson. The main function in its distinctive 100-year plus heritage is the exhibition of artworks by artists of mostly Jewish descent, within the broader context of Jewish migration, London’s Jewish community, and British and European modern art history. The archives provide important traces of the early careers of major Jewish artists in Britain, such as the Solomon dynasty, David Bomberg, Mark Gertler, Frank Auerbach, Leon Kossoff, and Gustav Metzger. Numbering several thousand items, the archive consists primarily of exhibition catalogues, invitations and material concerning exhibition planning; council and committee minutes; correspondence; annual reports; press cuttings; photographs, and ephemera relating to cultural and social events, including concerts, lectures and fundraisers. The underlying narrative reflects the financial status and social and political interest of the London (British) Jewish community at the time, with particular reference to waves of immigration from Russia at the turn of the 20th century / pre-First World War, and then from central Europe, pre- and post-Second World War. In 2014-16 funding from the Rothschild Foundation enabled two consecutive short-term archivists to catalogue the above items, creating an archive database, which is available online, while translation of Yiddish material (including Ben Uri’s earliest minutes, held in YIVO, New York) was undertaken by the Department of Jewish Studies, UCL, London. The archive also contains Ben Uri’s contemporary record ssince 2000, as yet not catalogued, relating to day-to-day administration, governance and finance, strategic shifts in width of focus, and mental health and school/family learning programmes. Access Information The archives are open to the general public. Users are requested to provide two days advance notice for physical access, and up to a weeks notice if the items are located in the archive’s stores. Enquiries can be made online. Online Accessibility During 2019-20, Ben Uri undertook an ambitious programme, digitising a portion of their archive material, resulting in around 10,000 pages of scans which are available online via Ben Uri’s research portal.The archive’s catalogue is also available online and is searchable by artist’s name and by a number of other criteria, including Jewish subject matter online. Street Address Ben Uri Gallery108a Boundary RoadLondonNW8 0RH http://www.benuri.org