Communal Records | Cultural | Jewish Life | ReligionPartially online Leo Baeck College Library The Victor Tunkel Jewish Music Collection • Leo Baeck College Library Leo Baeck College Library, part of Leo Baeck College, contains 60,000 volumes exploring Jewish civilisation. The great texts of Jewish tradition are supported by traditional commentary, cutting-edge scholarship and reference works. Jewish history, thought, practice and culture are explored through professional, academic and popular literature. Texts come from across the religious spectrum, around the world and throughout Jewish history. Its archival holdings includes material relating to leading figures in British and Progressive Jewry, local history, Jewish life and culture. Archive Description The Library’s Archive Collections preserve sermons, lectures, eulogies, photographs and papers recording the thinking and practices of rabbis, scholars and teachers who have had an impact on British and Progressive Jewry. This includes Rabbis John Rayner, Israel Mattuck, Willy Wolff, Vivian Simmons, Bruno Italiener, and H.I. Bach, Samuel & Stephen Krauss, Irene Bloomfield and Cantor Samuel Alman. It also holds some of their personal libraries as well as those of Rabbis Leo Baeck, Albert Friedlander, Sheila Shulman, Lionel Blue and others. The Leo Baeck College Audio Archive includes over 1200 recordings of lectures and seminars given at the college between 1985 and 2005. Delivered by rabbis, academics and professionals they present a fascinating picture of British Jewish life and learning. The Library holds the Victor Tunkel Jewish Music Collection which includes sheets music, musicology, cantor’s manuscripts, Tunkel’s papers and concert programmes. Other Special Collections include rare books going back to the 16th century with a significant inheritance from the Hochshchule institute in Berlin along with other material that survived the Holocaust. The collections contain more than 6000 pamphlets reflecting 150 years of European Jewish thought, and specialist collections in biblical commentary, Anglo-Jewry, liturgy, Progressive thought, Wissenschaft des Judentums and Jewish pedagogy. Access Information The archives are open to members of the general public through in-person appointments. Appointments are usually available Monday-Thursday 10am-4pm during the College’s teaching terms. No identification is required but appointments need to be made a few days in advance. Online Accessibility An online catalogue is available but different archival collections have been catalogued to different levels. Item level cataloguing is available through the library catalogue and details about each collection is available on the Archive Collections pages. Online enquiries can be submitted by email at: library@lbc.ac.uk. Digital Collections Rabbi John Rayner’s Sermons and Lectures are available online as well as digital editions of the magazine, Manna: the Forum for Progressive Judaism. Street Address Leo Baeck College Library80 East End RoadLondonN3 2SY https://lbc.ac.uk/library-resources/
Cultural | Family History | Local HistoryNot online The Salomons Museum The Salomons Museum comprises two rooms within the Salomons Estate located on the edge of Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent. The Salomons were a Victorian family renowned for scientific endeavour and for campaigning for the political rights of Jews and other religious minorities. Sir David Salomons (1797-1873) became the first Jewish Lord Mayor of London in 1855. In 1937 Vera Bryce Salomons left the house to Kent County Council with the proviso that it be used in an educational, scientific, medical or museum capacity. The family heirlooms and papers were collected together into the Memento Rooms which now make up the museum. The Estate also features on the Jewish Country Houses website. Archive Description The Salomons Museum commemorates three generations of the Salomons family and includes artefacts and documents illustrating the wider Jewish world in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The main elements of the collection are family heirlooms including letters, photographs, portraits, religious books, scientific books, official catalogues, testimonials, patent specifications, medals, embroideries, furniture and other memorabilia. Access Information Many of the items are on display in the museum which is open daily to visitors to the Salomons Estate. Check opening times with Reception at the Salomons Estate 01892 515152. For general collection enquiries and access to photograph albums and other documents please contact the museum curator. You will need to arrange a date and time in advance of your visit and bring official identification. Online Accessibility Malcolm Brown’s 1968 catalogue continues to be a good general guide to the collection. The catalogue can be downloaded from the National Archives website (NRA 13573). There is also detailed information on Jisc Archives Hub (GB 2464 SF). Street Address Broomhill RoadSouthboroughTunbridge Wells, KentTN3 0TG
Cultural | Holocaust | ReligionPartially online JMI Archive Jewish Music Institute (JMI) is the home of Jewish music in the UK, dedicated to the celebration, preservation and development of the living heritage of Jewish music for the benefit of people of all ages and backgrounds. The organisation supports musicians playing Jewish music across the UK enabling them to preserve this traditional heritage, create new work and reach the widest audiences both domestically and internationally. Archive Description The JMI Archive is a unique and valuable research tool which documents Jewish music from the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries in the UK and overseas as well as the activities of The Jewish Music Institute itself over the last 40 years. It includes records, CDS, LPs, tapes, books, programmes, memorabilia and much more. We hope that the archive collection will be of value to communities, organisations and academic researchers at local, national and international levels. The JMI collection is currently managed by JMI staff members. Access Information JMI is in the process of fully cataloguing and digitising the archive with the aim of making the entire archive accessible by the end of 2025. Access to much of the material is currently restricted because the majority of the archive is currently held in storage Some archive material can be accessed at the JMI office at SOAS. This is by appointment only and must be arranged with a JMI staff member in advance by emailing jewishmusic@jmi.org.uk Street Address Jewish Music InstituteSOAS University of LondonThornhaugh StreetRussell SquareLondon, WC1H 0XG jmiarchive.org
Commercial | Cultural | Family History | Holocaust | Jewish Life | Local HistoryOnline World ORT Archive Radio workshop at ORT Bramson, Marseilles, France, 1962 • World ORT Archive Archive Description The World ORT Archive (WOA) exists to preserve the historical record of World ORT’s activities and to place these activities into the context of contemporary Jewish History. World ORT’s governance, fundraising activities and operations have left a paper trail of documents and photographs that tells the story of a prominent Jewish organisation participating in the major historical events of the period. The archives include documents, reports, correspondence, films, videos, objects, and photographs that provide a valuable insight into all the organisation’s past activities. WOA’s document collection includes records of World ORT (formerly World ORT Union), its governing bodies and associate organisations world-wide. It includes minutes of meetings, reports, correspondence, fund-raising and PR, research and development, administrative and financial records. The archive also contains several small collections of personal papers, from former staff members and students. These include correspondence, photographs, press cuttings, diaries, certificates, and reference letters. WOA’s photographic collection documents a Jewish organisation’s involvement in Jewish working life, education, and vocational training across the globe from the 1920s to the present day. Its holdings illustrate the hardships and triumphs of the Jewish people throughout modern history. In many cases these photographs are the only remaining record of past communities, places, and events. The ORT film collection is a unique record of the organisation’s contribution to the development and advancement of Jewish education and vocational training in the 20th century. The films document ORT activities among Jewish communities worldwide. Many feature communities that have since disappeared e.g., North Africa and Iran. ORT, also known as the Organisation for Rehabilitation through Training, is a global education network driven by Jewish values. It promotes education and training in communities worldwide. Its activities throughout its history have spanned more than 100 countries and five continents Access Information The archive can be accessed online. Physical access to the archive must be requested via the World ORT Archive email: archive@ort.org http://ortarchive.ort.org
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 | 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
Cultural | Family History | Jewish LifeNot online Manchester Grammar School Archive The Manchester Grammar School Archive holds the records of Manchester Grammar School, where many of Manchester’s Jewish population received their education. Archive Description The MGS Archive contains documents, photographs, artefacts and audio-visual material relating to the 500 year history of the School. In fact, our oldest item actually predates the foundation of the School – a deed from 1357 for a building once owned by the School at its previous site at Long Millgate, now in Manchester City Centre. The photographs, admissions registers, text and scrap books, uniform, a complete collection of Ulula which began publication in 1873, drama and music programmes, all contribute to demonstrating first-hand the history of MGS. It is continuing to add to the archive with material from the life of the School as it happens, and so the archive has material in the archive from as recently as 2020. The archive also contains documents relating to the Old Mancunians’ Association and the three preparatory schools which were once associated with MGS (Sale High School, South Manchester School and North Manchester School). Access Information The archives are open to the public by appointment. They are open Wednesday to Friday, 9am-2pm, and appointments must be made in advance by contacting archives@mgs.org Digital Accessibility An archive catalogue is available online here. Street Address Manchester Grammar SchoolOld Hall LaneManchesterM13 0XT https://www.mgs.org/2011/the-mgs-archives
Cultural | Historical Documents | Jewish Life | SocialPartially online Tate Archive The Tate Archive is located at Tate Britain. It is open to the public and free to access. It contains a large collection of documents, photographs, and other material concerning Jewish participation in the cultural life of Britain. Archive Description Tate Archive is the world’s largest archive of British art, holding more than 1,000 collections containing over 20 million pieces. The archive collections comprise a wide range of materials such as letters, diaries, sketches, photographs, exhibition histories, audio-visual material and increasingly, born-digital material – all of which relate to artists, art practice, and art world figures and organisations. Researchers can search for materials of interest from the catalogued holdings by using the online catalogue and browse more than 65,000 digitised items and pieces on their website. Access Information Tate Archive is free to use. To consult collections, researchers just need to register and make an appointment to visit the Hyman Kreitman Reading Rooms at Tate Britain. The Reading Rooms at Tate Britain are currently open Tuesdays and Fridays 11.00–15.00. Email reading.rooms@tate.org.uk or call +44 020 7887 8838 to make an appointment. The archive asks that you bring two different forms of identification as well as a digital or paper copy of your appointment email. The archive has also introduced a free scan and send service for small quantities of information from both our Library, Archive and Public Records collections. This is for individuals undertaking non-commercial research and private study only. For further information, please visit their website. Digital Accessibility Researchers can search for materials of interest from the catalogued holdings by using the online catalogue and browse more than 65,000 digitised items and pieces on their website. Street Address Tate ArchiveTate BritainMillbankLondonSW1P 4RG https://www.tate.org.uk/art/archive
Cultural | Jewish Life | ReligionPartially online Jewish and Hebrew Collections at the John Rylands Library and Manchester University Library The Jewish and Hebrew Collections at the John Rylands Library and Manchester University Library are specialist collections held by Manchester University which cover a large variety of Jewish topics. Archive Description Manchester University holds a large and diverse collection of items relating to Jewish life. They include the Anglo-Israel Guardian archives and the papers of Moses Gaster, the Romanian-born Chief Rabbi of the British Sephardi Communities. Some 15,000 medieval fragments from the Cairo Genizah are available online. They include the “Butterfly” fragment in the handwriting of medieval philosopher and codifier Moses Maimonides. A contemporary artist, Jaqueline Nicholls, has created a specially commissioned artwork relating to this fragment. Many Hebrew-script manuscripts contain key texts of Jewish culture, such as the famous illuminated Rylands Haggadah, alongside everyday works in Hebrew and Aramaic, Yiddish, Judeo-Persian, Judeo-Italian, Crimean (Karaite) Tatar and Judeo-Arabic. Images of many of them are available online. Many other documents of record, ephemera and rare printed books, as well as ritual objects – the circumcision wimples that were used in Western European communities can be particularly poignant – relate to Jewish life in many diverse historical settings, including modern Britain. Examples of important, everyday or quirky items are included in public and online events showcasing “50 Jewish Objects” from the Northern UK and Dublin. As part of it, contemporary artists have been commissioned to create artwork engaging with specific objects, and further artwork will be added to this Festival of Jewish Art until 2022. The print holdings also include the “Jewish Enlightenment” Haskalah library, the library of rabbinic works collected by the Hungarian-born scholar Arthur Marmorstein and the Teltscher library works on Jewish history in German-speaking countries. Access Information The library is open to members of the general public, information on planning you visit is available here. If travelling from a distance, planning to consult rare or special material, or if there are any adjustments needed to facilitate the reader’s use of the reading room, it is advisable to contact the Library at least a week in advance of visiting. On the first visit need proof of address and photographic ID are required. University of Manchester members only require a University ID Card. Normal reading room opening hours are Monday-Saturday, 10am – 5pm (until 7pm on Thursdays). The Reader Service is closed on public holidays.The Library can be contacted by email at uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk or submit a contact form on their website. Digital Accessibility The library has a number of catalogues and resources online, and their digital images and metadata are freely available. Their publicly accessible digitised collections are available for re-use and adaptation under a Creative Commons Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). The library also holds special online collections such as their collection of digitised Hebrew manuscripts, and the Rylands Genizah Collection. Street Address The John Rylands Library150 DeansgateManchesterM3 3EH https://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands
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
Cultural | Family History | Jewish Life | ReligionOnly online St Albans Masorti Synagogue (SAMS) heritage projects Photograph of Arriving and Belonging participant, David Zwaig's, grandparents before they emigrated to England ca1900 • St Albans Masorti, Arriving and Belonging St Albans Masorti Synagogue (SAMS) has collected stories from community members to create the following archives: SAMS Roots is a digital oral history collection of interviews with twelve members of the St Albans Jewish community. Mapping SAMS Roots is a digital mapping project which contains over 120 family documents and photographs plotted on to a virtual map. The Arriving and Belonging online exhibition contains stories chosen to illustrate universal themes and show how Jewish families arrived in St Albans and made it their home. Archive Description SAMS Roots is a digital oral history collection held by St Albans Masorti Synagogue (SAMS) and Hertfordshire University. SAMS Roots was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and contains twelve in-depth interviews with SAMS members conducted by the biographer Caroline Pearce. SAMS members speak about where they came from, and what brought them to SAMS. The full transcripts and interviews are housed online in the University of Hertfordshire’s Heritage Hub. Mapping SAMS Roots contains over 120 family documents, photographs and stories from SAMS members which have been mapped on to a virtual collection using Historypin. These present a rich picture of SAMS members’ roots. SAMS members continue to contribute family stories which are displayed together with a virtual map. The online exhibition Arriving and Belonging: Stories from the St Albans Jewish Community reveals personal stories of migration and heritage, examining universal themes of sanctuary, courage, compassion and starting a new life in Britain through testimonies, objects and family photographs. Digital Accessibility The archives are available digitally:SAMS RootsMapping SAMS RootsArriving and Belonging: Stories from the St Albans Jewish Community For our Mapping Toolkit to help collect stories from your own community, contact SAMS at info@e-sams.org. Our Story — St. Albans Masorti 7 Jan 2022 Arriving and Belonging Stories from the St Albans Jewish Community