Squandered heritage: Jewish buildings in Britain

Abstract

In the winter of 1987–88 the United Synagogue sold the magnificent East London synagogue in Stepney Green (1877) to property developers, without consultation nor apparent concern for its fate. This sale drew attention to an issue long neglected by the leaders of Anglo‐Jewry: the conservation of the Jewish architectural heritage in the British Isles. Immediate steps must be taken to arrest the disappearance of historic Jewish landmarks: synagogues, cemeteries and secular buildings. This article recommends co‐operation between the Jewish community and the general conservation agencies (especially English Heritage) in the systematic documentation of Jewish sites, in order to establish priorities for preservation and to draw up guidelines for the listing of Jewish buildings. It calls for Anglo‐Jewry to put conservation on the communal agenda and for the education of the Jewish public to appreciate the importance of our architectural heritage.