Family History | Historical Documents | Jewish LifeOnly online National Register of Memorial Boards The National Register of Jewish Memorial Boards is a digital collection by the British Jews in the First World War project. It is a digital archive accessible to the public. Project Description The National Register of Jewish Memorial Boards is searchable database of UK Jewish Memorial Boards of First World War, 1914 -1925 period. These boards contain the names of members of the Jewish community who served during the First World War. Some are still on display in synagogues, cemeteries and museums; whilst others are kept in archives or lost. The collection includes photo images, introductory text and personal profiles of names listed on the board. Digital Accessibility The collection is available online, and the project can be contacted by emailing: contactus@jewsfww.uk. http://www.jewsfww.uk/memorial-boards.php National Register of Memorial Boards Family History | Historical Documents | Jewish LifeOnly online The National Register of Jewish Memorial Boards is a digital collection by the British Jews in the First World War project. It is […]
Commercial | Communal Records | Family History | Historical Documents | Jewish LifePartially online Dorset County Archive The Dorset County Archive is a local government archive, held in the Dorset History Centre, Dorchester. It holds material on Jewish local history, communal records, and family history records. Archive Description Dorset History Centre is dedicated to preserving, sharing and celebrating the rich heritage of Dorset and brings together two services: Dorset Record Office and Dorset County Local Studies Library. It was awarded Archive Service Accreditation by The National Archives in 2018. The Centre cares for over 1,000 years of records on 8 miles of climate-controlled shelving in Dorchester – ranging from Council records to personal collections, as well as books, pamphlets and other publications. The Centre’s records reflect the diversity of Dorset’s population in its collections, services and engagement. Within its records, many minorities can be researched and Jewish residents, patients, office-holders, businesses etc can be identified. However, some of the collections are more specific to Jewish life in Dorset. These records mainly reflect Jewish communities in Bournemouth including a recorded talk about the heyday of Jewish hotels and back copies of the magazine ‘Ruach’ which contain lots of reminiscence and history going back to the 1940’s when the community was being established, as well as holding the first-person account of Harry Grenville and his life as a child in Nazi Germany and his move to England via the Kinder Transport. Access Information The archives are open to members of the public and can be accessed through pre-booked appointments. Documents must be pre-ordered using the archive catalogue. It is open Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Appointments should be booked in advance. Enquiries can be made to: archives@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/. Digital Accessibility The archive catalogue can be found online. Visitors may access any digital or hard copy material during a visit, or ask for materials to be shared with you, however there may be a small fee for this service. Street Address Dorset History CentreBridport RdDorchesterDT1 1RP https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/libraries-history-culture/dorset-history-centre
Commercial | Family History | Historical Documents | Immigration | Local HistoryNot online The Waddesdon Archive at Windmill Hill Waddesdon is a stately home, managed by the Rothschild Foundation on behalf of the National Trust, who took over ownership in 1957 and opened it to the public in 1959. The house was built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild between 1874 and 1885 to display his collection of arts and to entertain the fashionable world. Archive Description The Waddesdon Archive brings together records and material relating to the history of Waddesdon Manor, the Waddesdon Estate and the members of the Rothschild family who have owned and managed Waddesdon from 1874 until the present day, particularly James & Dorothy de Rothschild. We also hold archives relating to the Rothschild Family’s wider interests including those of PICA (the Palestine Jewish Colonisation Association) and the Butrint Foundations archaeological archive. We also hold the business archive of P & D Colnaghi, the London art dealers. Access Information The collections are available for researchers to use by appointment. If you wish to consult the records or have an enquiry please contact the archive team on archive@waddesdon.org.uk or 01296 653413. Opening hours are Monday-Friday 9.30am to 5pm. At least 24 hours advance notice is required to access the archive. You will need a driver’s licence or other ID. If you are an academic student or staff member you will also need a letter of support from your institution. All researchers are required to complete a researcher agreement. Waddesdon Archive
Family History | Historical Documents | Holocaust | Interfaith relations | Local History | ReligionPartially online Lambeth Palace Library Lambeth Palace Library is the historic library of the Archbishops of Canterbury. The vision of Lambeth Palace Library is to collect, preserve and make accessible the memory of the Church of England, so that its cultural and religious history can be explored and enjoyed by all. Archive Description Lambeth Palace Library’s archives are broadly religious with a strong element of institutional corporate records. The library holds a large and varied collection including manuscripts, Archbishops’ archives, records of the central institutions of the Church, archives of churchmen and societies, and printed books. Much of the Jewish-related archival material held focuses on the interface between the Church of England and Judaism, and can be found in the Archbishop Papers, papers of other bishops/churchmen/societies, and manuscripts. Online Accessibility An online catalogue for Lambeth Palace Library’s collections can be found here. The Library also has a research guide to its Jewish holdings available here. Digital Accessibility Over 30,000 images and fully digitised volumes from Lambeth Palace Library collections can be viewed online. Access Information Access to the Library’s collections is freely available to the public. We strongly recommend that readers book an appointment at least two days in advance of any visit. On their first visit, users must register as a reader. Registration is valid for two years and allows access to all classes of material, with the exception of some restricted material. Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am -5pm, Tuesday 11am-5pm, Thursday 10am-7.15pm Check website for dates of closure and detailed information regarding ID requirements, Reading Room rules, order limits, fetching times, restricted material, and facilities. Enquiries can be made by email to archives@churchofengland.org Street Address Lambeth Palace Library15 Lambeth Palace RoadLondonSE1 7JT https://www.lambethpalacelibrary.info/
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
Communal Records | Databases | Family History | Historical Documents | Jewish Life | Local History | ReligionOnly online Jewish Communities and Records – United Kingdom (JCR-UK) Chart of the Past & Present Officers of Dalston (Poets’s Road) Synagogue, London, circa 1910 • JCR-UK Jewish Communities and Records – United Kingdom (JCR-UK) is an online project whose aim is to record details of all Jewish communities and congregations that have ever existed in the British Isles. Archive Description Jewish Communities and Records – United Kingdom (JCR-UK) was established in 2002 as a joint project between the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain (JGSGB) and JewishGen. Its aim is to record details of all Jewish communities and congregations that have ever existed in the United Kingdom, as well as the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and Gibraltar, in order to preserve the information for posterity and to make this information freely available online. JCR-UK comprises a wide range of scanned communal documents, photographs, articles, conference papers; databases, lists and other information and data covering London and some 250 provincial or regional Jewish communities, encompassing nearly 1,200 existing and defunct Jewish congregations of every persuasion, each with its own page, together with a new efficient search engine. Some specific examples of the wide range of material available on JCR-UK are: an extensive Bibliography of books on Anglo-Jewry; the Susser Archive of the late Rabbi Dr. B. Susser; archives of Exeter Synagogue; historic communal documents of the Bristol Hebrew Congregation; the papers of the 1975 conference on Provincial Jewry in Victorian Britain (including the 1845 Chief Rabbi’s Census); Jewish Listed Heritage Sites and much more. In addition, apart from its own database – the All-UK Database, operated by JewishGen, JCR-UK is host to a growing number of community Hosted Databases, generally providing ready access to burial records, gravestone images and cemetery maps. So far the communities covered include Belfast, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Doncaster, Grimsby, Harrogate, Leeds, Liverpool, Merthyr Tydfil, Newcastle, South Shields, Swansea, Sunderland and Whitley Bay, as well as the burial records of London’s Federation of Synagogues’ cemeteries, with several further community cemeteries in the process of being added. The latest ongoing project within JCR-UK involves the enhancing, reformatting and expanding of each of the congregation pages (there is one for each congregation) to include a more detailed history, lists of ministers and officers and other data, coupled with links to a new Rabbinic Profiles section, containing profiles of the ministers listed. By mid-2025, pages for over 660 congregations (more than 55% of the total number) have been enhanced, listing over 2,000 different ministers. Online Accessibility JCR-UK is available to the public online with no access limitations. Visit the What’s New page to read about the latest developments on JCR-UK. https://www.jewishgen.org/jcr-uk
Historical Documents | Jewish LifeNot online Jewish Military Museum The Jewish Military Museum is a collection and archive of material relating to the military history of Jews in British and commonwealth service and is funded by the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen (AJEX) Charitable Foundation. Archive Description The paper archive consists of material concerning Jews in the military and the history of AJEX. It covers the role of Jewish men and women in British society and defence, and the collection includes records such as military and official documents, personal documents, written and recorded testimony. These are mostly drawn from UK and Commonwealth content but also includes some overseas records such as those from Israel. There is also a substantial collection of Chaplain Cards. These are a unique collection of 70,000+ index cards of Jewish military personnel who encountered the Military Jewish Chaplaincy service. The cards contain a mixture of basic and detailed comments and as part of a digitisation pilot project some of the cards will soon be available to view online. The museum artefacts (e.g. photographs, uniforms and medals – including a Victoria Cross, memorial plaques, military items and personal items) are currently located in long-term storage. Access Information The paper archives are stored at the AJEX Head Office in Hendon, north west London and are available for consultation. Researchers can request to visit the archive by booking an appointment through the AJEX contact page and in conjunction with AJEX archivist Martin Sugarman who is also available for telephone advice. There is limited access to the museum artefacts but if there is something in particular that a researcher wants to view, they can also request an appointment through the AJEX contact page. Digital Accessibility Around thirty percent of the collection has been digitised and there are plans to complete this digitisation. There is currently no online catalogue but researchers may be able to access a collection contents file on request.
Cultural | Historical DocumentsPartially online British Library’s Hebrew collection The British Library’s Hebrew collection is held within the British Library, Britain’s national library. It is open to researchers and contains a large collection of manuscripts, printed books and serials on Jewish topics. Archive Description The Hebrew Collection was assembled over a 250 year period, initially by the British Museum and since 1973 by the British Library. Its holdings contain material written and printed in Hebrew characters, ranging from manuscripts copied over 1,000 years ago to the most recent monographs and serials. The collection – one of the most important in the world – encompasses all facets of Hebrew literature and a wide range of religious and secular area studies. The collection includes around 3,000 manuscript volumes and about 75,000 printed book titles – mostly in Hebrew and related languages that use the Hebrew script including Aramaic, Judeo-Arabic, Judeo-Italian, Judeo-Persian, Judeo-Spanish, Yiddish and various others. The collection also holds some 7,000 manuscript fragments, deriving mainly from the Cairo Genizah, nearly 1,000 Hebrew and Yiddish periodical and newspaper titles, in addition to considerable numbers of microforms of manuscripts, printed books and periodicals. Access Information Access to the British Library’s collections require a valid reader pass which can be applied for online or in person. Manuscripts, printed items, and other physical material can be ordered and consulted during opening hours in designated reading rooms, namely the Asian and African Studies reading room for manuscripts and printed books and the Rare Books and Music reading room for printed material. In order to access Hebrew manuscripts and rare printed material, the British Library recommends that you email the Head of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Collections, Michael Erdman, at least one week in advance. More information on the collection can be found in the Library’s online collection guide. Digital Accessibility All the Hebrew manuscripts have been fully digitised and are available free of charge on the British Library’s Digitised Manuscripts site. The full archive and manuscript holdings of the British Library can also be searched on its online catalogue. Street Address The British LibraryAsian and African Collections96 Euston RdLondon NW1 2DB https://www.bl.uk
Historical Documents | Jewish LifeOnly online Jewish Chronicle Archive The Jewish Chronicle Archive is a digitised archive of the original print versions of the Jewish Chronicle newspaper going back over 175 years, to 1841. Archive Description Founded in 1841, the Jewish Chronicle is the world’s oldest and most influential Jewish newspaper. Its archive provides a valuable insight into the life and outlook of Anglo-Jewry covering world events, national politics, diverse Jewish religious outlooks, social change, as well as commentary and opinion from leading political and cultural figures throughout the newspaper’s history. In the archive you can read contemporary reporting on events such as: the mass immigration from Eastern Europe in the 1890’s, the controversy over the Aliens Act in the 1900’s, the First World War, the rise of Fascism in Europe, the Shoah and Second World War, and the Foundation of the State of Israel in 1948. Online Accessibility Access is free to all Jewish Chronicle subscribers, and non-subscribers can gain 24-hours access on a ‘pay as you go’ basis for a fee of £2.50. https://www.thejc.com/archive
Communal Records | Historical Documents | Local HistoryNot online Hull History Centre Opening of Hull Central Synagogue • Hull History Centre The Hull History Centre is a partnership between Hull City Council and the University of Hull. It is open to the public and contains the records of Hull’s Jewish community. Archive Description This collection houses the papers of Hull’s Jewish community between 1767 and 2012. It includes records from 1860-2011 relating to various Hull-based Jewish organisations responsible for regulating and overseeing the lives and wellbeing of the community’s members as well as records from 1852-2010 relating to the administration and activities of individual Congregations and Synagogues in Hull. It also has additional printed material about the Hull Jewish Community including biographical works relating to some members of the community. Access Information Hull History Centre is open to the public Tuesdays-Thursdays 9.30am – 4.30pm and on the first and third Saturday of each month 9.30am – 12.30pm. You can find opening times here. Users will need to bring photographic identification and proof of address. No appointment is necessary but it is advised that you contact the archive in advance. Enquiries can be made to hullhistorycentre@hcandl.co.uk. Digital Accessibility The archive has a digitised catalogue available for download on their website. Street Address Hull History CentreWorship StreetHullHU2 8BG http://www.hullhistorycentre.org.uk York Commodity Bond Bond produced following the Statute of the Jewry (1275) • Hull History Centre Victor Weisz’s Lamp Garden Cartoon Letter from political cartoonist ‘Vicky’ to his wife • Hull History Centre
Communal Records | Cultural | Historical Documents | Jewish Life | Local HistoryPartially online University of Leeds Cultural Collections [Yiḥus avot]. [יחוס אבות]. [Illustrated account of the holy places in Palestine, written in Casale Monferrato]. Classmark: MS ROTH/220, University of Leeds Cultural Collections The University of Leeds Cultural Collections is housed in the Brotherton Library, Leeds, and is open to public access. It contains a number of historic Jewish collections. Archive Description One of the largest Jewish collections is the Cecil Roth Collection of around 360 manuscripts from 13th-20th century, collected by the British Jewish historian Cecil Roth. They contain a large number of early modern written texts including prayer books, marriage contracts, letters and deeds in Hebrew and other languages. These extraordinary records document the daily lives of Jews and their culture around the world. Other collections include: The Esther Simpson correspondence and papers includes her personal papers, photographs, press-cuttings and correspondence. Papers relating to the Leeds Academic Assistance Committee founded in 1933 to support academic refugees from Germany. The Papers of Janina and Zygmunt Bauman contains material relating to Jewish organisations including Yad Vashem and the Leeds based Holocaust Survivors Friendship Association. Czech Torah Scroll no.68 is from Brno, the Czech Republic and dates from 1890. It’s on loan from the Memorial Scrolls Trust and contains the Pentateuch. The Marilyn Fetcher Collection contains Shifra papers, correspondence and photographs. The Porton Collection of printed material dates from 1553-1980. It covers all aspects of the religion and culture of the Jewish people and includes works in Hebrew, Yiddish and English. The foundation of the collection is the library of Rabbi Moses Abrahams to which was added part of Joseph Porton’s library, a Leeds printer and stationer. The Travers Herford Collection is a small collection of books published 1935-1948 on Jewish history acquired by Robert Travers Herford, a rabbinical scholar. Access Information The collections are open to the public, although some items have special handling requirements. External visitors are required to register with the Library and on their first visit will need to provide photographic identification with confirmation of signature and present address. The collection also requires advance notification of at least two days. Notifications and questions can be sent to the Library through an online form. Online Accessibility Part of the Cecil Roth Collection has been digitised and is available on their website. The Cultural Collections catalogue is also available online. Street Address Cultural CollectionsBrotherton LibraryUniversity of LeedsWoodhouse LaneLeeds, LS2 9JT https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/1500/special_collections ‘Shifra’: A Voice for Jewish Feminists Jewish Feminist Magazine ‘Shifra’ • University of Leeds Cultural Collections
Historical Documents | HolocaustPartially online Manx National Heritage Library & Archives First World War Internees Jewish Camp Dining Room Douglas Camp Isle of Man - The Manx National Heritage Library and Archives The Manx National Heritage Library and Archives at the Manx Museum, Douglas is a non-lending reference facility holding a wide variety of resources relating to the Isle of Man, its history and culture. Archive Description The Isle of Man housed civilian internment camps during both World Wars, as well as many of the records related to those camps. Many of those interned will have spent at least part of their time on the Isle of Man. During the First World War German and Austrian Jews were interned in the Douglas and Knockaloe Camps but also in a separate Jewish Camp within the Douglas Camp. In the Second World War a significant proportion of the refugees who had fled to Britain from Nazi persecution were subsequently interned as ‘enemy aliens’ and held in camps on the Island. Not all official internment records survive. Assorted printed and archival internment material has been amassed by MNH including private papers and academic research. Personal correspondence, memoirs, photographs, ephemera and dissertations are held as are extensive printed books, articles and camp newspapers. The collections have been considerably expanded since 1994 when the Manx Museum, Douglas staged a major exhibition ‘Living with the Wire: Civilian Internment in the Isle of Man during the two World Wars’; a book of the same title is still in print available from MNH. Internment object and art resources are displayed in the art and military galleries at the Manx Museum. Access Information The Library and Archive is open to the public, and enquiries can be dealt with on a walk-in basis (once a Visitor Registration Form has been completed). New users will need to register for a membership card. The Library requests that users contacts the MNH Library & Archives prior to their visit to discuss their enquiry, to find out what suitable material may be available to answer their enquiry and the type of material they might want to see during their visit – this will help to ensure the most efficient and productive use of time during their visit. These enquiries can be made to: library@mnh.im. The Library is open all year round, Wednesday to Saturday, 10am – 4pm, with certain exceptions. More information can be found on their website. Digital Accessibility Manx National Heritage has a variety of material available online through its online platform iMuseum. Here there is free access to digitised Manx newspapers spanning both World Wars; also to digitised First World War internment camp newspapers (available in their original form but also with English translations from the original German). A full list of their digital collections can be found online. Street Address Manx National Heritage,Douglas,Isle of Man,IM1 3LY Library and Archives