The Leeds Jewish Archive has been assembled by Makor Jewish Culture, Leeds. It is open to the public and hopes to have a web presence in the near future. Its holdings cover over one hundred and fifty years of Jewish presence in Leeds.

Archive Description

In 2010, the Leeds Jewish community celebrated the 150th anniversary of the first custom built synagogue in Leeds. To commemorate this and leave a legacy for Leeds’ rich Jewish history, Makor Jewish Culture launched the search for Leeds archive material.

The Centre conducted a large number of interviews with people whose families had lived for generations in Leeds, producing a wealth of interviews containing many anecdotes that would not normally have been preserved. The archive holds material that includes all aspects of Jewish religious, social, economic and political life, including local history, refugee experiences, wars and conflict, the Holocaust and relationships with Israel.

This includes audio-visual material from TV stations such as ITV, Chanel 4 and the BBC have searched their archive for information to enrich Leeds based documentaries.

Access Information

The archive is open to the public, Wednesday and Thursdays, 10am-2pm. Advanced notice must be given at least one week in advance for access.
The archive can be contacted online at ellie@makor.co.uk.

Street Address

Makor Jewish Culture
MAZCC Centre
311 Stonegate Road
Leeds
LS17 6AZ