The Jews of Brighton, 1770-1900* DAVID SPECTOR in was As far as I can ascertain, the Jewish Histori? The first recorded Jew Brighton no on Israel Samuel who was a cal Society has had previous paper the Cohen, 1766-1767, nor member of the Great and subject of the Jews of Brighton, is there any Synagogue, London, was later as Israel silversmith reference to Brighton in the Index of the known Samuel, of East also a Transactions of this Society compiled by the late and toy man, 22 Street, lodging There a local Albert Hyamson. This is unusual in view of the house keeper. is, however, legend in the links between the Society and Brighton. In of Jacob Harris?a Jewish pedlar?who this room are housed the collection of Hebraica year 1734 committed murder at the Royal near was at of Levy Salomons?father of Philip Salomons, Oak, Ditchling, Brighton, hung and his for a past president of the Brighton Hebrew Horsham, corpse suspended many were to the from a outside the Congregation?which presented years gibbet Royal Oak, Guildhall Library, London, in 1847 by Philip where there was a post for many years known can a Salomons. Claude Goldsmid Montefiore, one as Jacob's Post. It is said that if you get the and it around with of the founder members of the Jewish Histori? splinter from post carry was a will never toothache. Dr. Snow? cal Society and a past President, grand? you you get was has in his the son of Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid, who man, of Tel Aviv, possession of one Abraham of closely associated with Brighton and Hove prayer-book Benjamin, was to in inscribed 'his book and whose portrait recently presented Brighthelmstone Sussex, to This is believed to be a Barmitzvah this Society. I have also been stimulated 1770'. to for it give this address by the remark of Cecil Roth present Abraham, subsequently in his book The Rise ofProvincial Jewry that the records the birth in 1810 of Elizabeth Benja? measure of success of this work will be not the min, Abraham Benjamin in 1812, and the contra? death of Phoebe in 1821. Richard degree of agreement but the degree of Benjamin to diction that itmay stimulate. Cumberland's play 'The Jew', the first play to 1770 of seven in a more was Brighton prior consisted depict Jews sympathetic light, at Duke principal streets and less than 600 houses, performed the Street Theatre, Brighton, the number of inhabitants in that year being on 15 October 1794, directly after its initial to success at the Theatre Lane. approximately 2,500. Thanks Dr. Russell, Royal, Drury on? The of the were laid sea-bathing became popular from 1750 foundations community one a wards, and in the year 1783 occurred the first by Emanuel Hyam Cohen, native of near who came to visit of the Prince Regent, subsequently Niederwerren, Munich, in in that George IV. The town's popularity grew by England 1782, settled Brighton year, from its residents Hannah leaps and bounds and by 1821 the number of and married among was a inhabitants was over 25,000 and the houses Benjamin and begat ten children. He man of education and and was an had increased to just under 4,000. Between ability some 1830 and 1840 there was a temporary lull in associate of Moses Mendelssohn. He had whom I will refer to the expansion of the town, but the advent of outstanding children, a the railway in 1841 laid the foundation for its later. Emanuel Hyam Cohen kept school for rest is continued expansion during the of the boys in Artillery Place until 1816, which nineteenth century. It is also as well to remem? mentioned in local guide-books of this period. Hebrew and and Louis ber that during the Napoleonic Wars the only He taught German, of communication with France was through Dieppe Cohen, when laying the foundation-stone was so to Middle Street in referred to and Brighton and that this up 1848. Synagogue 1874, at He * on his early schooling this establishment. Paper delivered to the Society 6 March 1968. also served as Shochet, but never made a 42 Jewish Historical Society of England is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, and extend access to Transactions & Miscellanies Jewish Historical Society of England ® www.jstor.org The Jews of Brighton, 1770-1900 43 financial success and died in 1823 leaving very keepers, and it was not uncommon in this little to his children. The earliest synagogue period of popularity in Brighton for the local and school was reputed to be in Jew Street, tradesmen to carry on that additional occu? where the early pedlars gathered. I have pation. Circumcisions were carried out by examined guide-books from 1769 onwards and Myer Solomon, of theWestern Synagogue, and the first reference to a synagogue is in Craw? Rabbi Leib, of Portsmouth. Brighton was ford's Guide of 1792. The County Archives at popular with London Jewry and indeed a Lewes have the Land Tax records of Bright report in the Lewes Advertiser in 1801 blames the helmstone complete from 1770 to 1820 and large increase in the importation of 'Hams' into the first reference there to Jew Street is in the Brighton on the demand for this product by are year 1789, when three dwellings recorded. Jewish visitors. The Rev. Solomon Herschell Jew Street is described as being part of New was a frequent visitor to and friend of the Street (now Bond Street) and the Borough Congregation and Cecil Roth has made Surveyor has informed me that there is no reference to him.1 In 1805 the local papers a indication on the early maps of the location of recorded contribution of ?10 from the Jews' a com? the building used as synagogue, but this is Synagogue to the Patriotic Fund, which understood to have been at the southern end. pares with ?90 from the Chapel Royal, the The second synagogue was in Pounes Court, most popular local church. Coach traffic named after the builder, off West Street, increased between London and Brighton, as as a approximately opposite the site of the present many 60 coaches day running in the 1820s. Odeon Cinema. It is clearly indicated in In 1816 it was reported that some Jews started run guide-books and is specially marked in Mar 'The Eclipse' to from Brighton to London chant's Plan of Brighthelmstone of 1808. It is in six hours or pay penalty of carrying passen? my belief that this synagogue was quite likely gers free. The horses galloped all the way? a room in a house occupied by Jews. To sup? on one journey the coachman broke three port this theory, I note that the Land Tax whips and in one week fifteen horses died. assessments name Isaac Levy and Abraham Crowds used to turn out en route to see the ran Benjamin as occupying houses in Pounes coaches, which without accident for three were Court. In 1822, the house occupied by Abra? months until the drivers summoned and as ham Benjamin is referred to 'late Benjamin' fined for furious driving. Maria Basevi, mother with no mention of Isaac Levy, but in the of Benjamin Disraeli, lived in Hove before her following year there is no reference at all to marriage in 1802 to Isaac DTsraeli, and Jacob was 'late Benjamin'. Bearing in mind that this is Montefiore, of Australian fame, born in the year in which Devonshire Place was Brighton in 1801 and not at Bridgetown, as acquired, the absence of any further reference stated in the Jewish Encyclopedia. to Jewish occupation is significant. I have not In the surrounding countryside were the been able to trace any papers of the Congre? Brandon family, who resided at Findon? gation relating to the period of Jew Street and outside Worthing?and made various gifts to a Pounes Court, although Cecil Roth and Mr. the Congregation; the minutes record the gift J. H. Cohen, of Rottingdean, have referred to of silver bells in 1825. In 1828 the synagogue them. The minutes of the Congregation from was broken into and the silver bells and other 1824 onwards are, however, available and I valuables were stolen by one Samuel Povey, will deal with them later. who was sentenced in December 1828 at the seven The names of the following pre-1800 inhabi? Lewes Assizes to years' transportation tants are known from the Land Tax assess? for these offences. The following names appear ments : among the list of subscribers to a History of Abraham Benjamin, Isaac Levy, Emanuel Lewes and Brighthelmstone, by Paul Dunvan, Hyam Cohen, Moses Jacob Cohen, Solomon published in 1795: Mr. Abraham Morris, of Myers, Mrs. Samuels, and their families. Seaford, and Mr. Abraham Soper, of Lewes. are as 1 All of these described lodging-house See The Rise of Provincial Jewry, p. 225. 44David Spector Baxter's guides for 1822 and 1824 record Apart from teaching languages, he contributed numerous Jewish names and I have listed them to the local press, acted as theatre critic, was an in appendix. Their trades range from prominent in the affairs of the Congregation a general dealers, fruiterers, watch and clock and was much-admired Reader in the was makers, parasol makers, to auctioneers and synagogue. In 1827 he sufficiently esteemed pawnbrokers. locally to be able to raise funds for a new paper, Local guide-books continued to give the the Brighton Guardian, and became its manager as site of the synagogue Pounes Place until and editor.