The front cover of the earliest ‘pinkus’, dating back to 1762 • Plymouth Archive, The Box

This document, from 1762, is a real hidden treasure. It is the front cover of the earliest pinkus (or ledger containing the records of a community) of the long-standing Jewish community of Plymouth. It’s from the collection of The Box at Plymouth City Council.

The document, written in Hebrew, says that it is ‘the regulations of our holy community of Plymouth’.

Plymouth synagogue is itself the oldest Ashkenazi synagogue in the English-speaking world, built in 1762. Its first community members were immigrants from Germany and the Netherlands. Here’s a picture of it today:

Plymouth Synagogue

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Hidden Treasures: Celebrating the documents, photos and artefacts in British archives that tell the story of Jews in Britain