Shared Roots in Faith

Why the East of London?

Judaism Islam The earliest known record As with other immigrants in the of Jews in England is in East End, many Muslims came 1066 at the time of William the as traders and seamen. How- Conqueror. Jews were found to ever, the most notable arrival be useful since they were permit- came in the late 1940s which ted to undertake jobs which Chris- saw an influx of Bangladeshis, tians were not, such as money lending. searching for employment and However, in 1290 anti-Semitism was rife and escape from political unrest. In later at the order of Edward I, many Jews were massacred. years, Somali Muslims came to the East End to es- In 1655 Oliver Cromwell (a devout Christian) allowed cape civil war. Whilst Islam was the last of the three Jews to return and in 1701 a called the Be- faiths to settle in the East End its presence is argu- vis Marks Synagogue was built near Aldgate. It remains ably the most noticeable today. For example, in Brick in use and still stands today as the oldest synagogue in Lane where Muslims from Bangladesh have brought Britain. In 1881 the Czar of Russia, Alexander II was as- with them their language; which can be seen on sassinated by revolutionaries, (violent mob at- street signs, their cuisine and places of worship - the tacks against particular ethnic or religious groups) were ; a former synagogue and church. launched against the Jewish population in Russia and The Brick Lane Jamme Masjid (‘Great Mosque’) many sought refuge in the West. 100,000 fled to the UK, was built in the 18th century and is a grade II listed and a large proportion settling in London’s East End. building – one of the oldest in the East of London. These Jewish immigrants were not necessarily warmly In 1743, the Hugenots constructed the building as welcomed, and were forced to live in overcrowded condi- a (protestant) chapel. In the late 18th century many tions. In the 1930s the Jewish population of the East End Jewish refugees set- again found themselves targeted when Oswald Mosley’s tled in London and British Union of Fascists rose in popularity. A second the building was wave of immigration came in the 1940s with many Jews bought and used as escaping persecution and the horrors of war in. Some a synagogue, until came to , but many chose to reside in the the Jewish popula- leafier, more suburban areas of North London and Finch- tion declined and ley. Many the building fell into were forced to close disuse. During the down as the Jewish 1970s many Bang- population moved away ladeshis moved to however the Nelson London, and the Street synagogue, for- building was refur- mally known as the East bished as a mosque London Central Syna- and has been in use Brick Lane Synagogue gogue, remains. ever since. Graphic Design by Inês Duarte http://inesnaduarte.tumblr.com

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