History of the Community
Archiving the History of the Community
In addition to developing this page, there will two further projects helping us to build up a clearer picture of the community's history:
- A history and photobook of the community, which will give an up-to-date history of the community. Rather than being stuck in the past, it will show us how we got to where we are today.
- An online archive of Leeds' history which will include anecdotes, articles, photos and much more besides.
Leeds Jewry: A Short History
Abrdiged from an article by Murray Freedman. To see full article click here
An organised Jewish community in Leeds dates from 1840, when its first cemetery was opened. It was tiny, with only 56 identifiable Jews listed in the 1841 census, and was largely made up of German immigrant woollen merchants. The first synagogue, opened in 1846, was a converted house in Back Rockingham Street. The first purpose-built synagogue was erected in 1860 in Belgrave Street and survived until 1983. All these locations are now in the city centre where few, if any, Jews currently reside.
As time went on immigration increased, but coming from Eastern Europe rather than Germany. The majority of Jews who came to Leeds were Lithuanian (Litvak) Jews. Fleeing from poverty and pogroms, the destination for most was America via Hull and Liverpool, but on the way was Leeds, where some of these U.S.A.-bound Jews would stop – sometimes permanently. But the city also specifically attracted Jews because of its clothing industry. This was started in 1856 by John Barran, a non-Jew, and he was assisted by a Jewish immigrant named Herman Friend. Friend developed the divisional system of working in tailoring - greatly speeding up production. He encouraged his fellow Jews in Russia to come to Leeds where there was plenty of work.....
Most immigrants settled in the Leylands, adjoining the city centre, a badly run down area comprising hardly more than 50 acres, with cheap to rent property. There they set up synagogues and established a network of self-help organisations, such as the Leeds Jewish Board of Guardians. The community was, at first, overwhelmingly working class, with few intellectuals amongst the immigrants that came to the city. They often faced hostility from their non-Jewish neighbours at all levels, and unlike today, with no anti-racial legislation to protect them
Persecution of Jews in Russia intensified after 1881, so that the flow of Jews from Russia became a flood. It is estimated that more than 10,000 came to Leeds between 1880 and 1900. It is from these immigrants that most of today's Leeds Jews are descended, and this immigration, together with natural growth, combined to produce a Jewish population which probably peaked at more than 20,000 by the mid 1920's.
...The immigrants’ strong desire for education, and the seizing of all the educational opportunities open to their children, largely explains the relatively easy integration and rapid socio-economic rise of the community that eventually took place, in spite of many difficulties.
Rising prosperity was reflected in the gradual change, over the years, in the types of occupations, and the incessant movement of the population to better housing in more salubrious districts. Today, most of the synagogues and communal organisations can be found within roughly a square mile in the northern suburbs of Moortown and Alwoodley, and it is remarkable how the community has remained so geographically cohesive since its movement away from the initial area of settlement in the Leylands.
...It is now chiefly middle class in character with numerous professional people within its ranks - although the proletarian origins of the community are evident in the background of some of its large number of elderly....
From its earliest days members of the community have been involved in the wider general life of the city. There have been three Jewish Lord Mayors and many city councillors. Today, Jews are even more widely involved in the general life of the city of Leeds, with many judges, magistrates, leaders and members of professional organisations, chambers of commerce, voluntary and charitable groups, music and cultural societies, sporting bodies and the like.
Although well integrated, the vast majority of community members are still religiously affiliated, with more than 85% of them nominally Orthodox, whilst Progressives are catered for by Sinai (Reform).