England

THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN England

The Jewish community of London dates back to the reign of William Rufus in the 11th century. Over the following centuries, the Jewish community suffered as a result of blood libels and attacks on the Jewish area of London. In 1290, Jews were expelled from England, bringing the London Jewish community to a temporary end. After the expulsion of Jews from Spain and Portugal, some Jews settled in London and practiced Judaism discreetly. Under the reign of Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century, the Jewish community founded a synagogue and a cemetery. By the end of the 17th century, an Ashkenazi synagogue had also been established. By the mid 19th century, several London Jews were involved in the city’s politics. Towards the end of the century, thousands of Russian Jewish immigrants joined the London community and during the 1930s, large numbers of German Jews came to London from Nazi Germany. During WWII, the Jewish community of London largely moved to the suburbs as the heaviest bombing destroyed their inner-city neighborhoods.

Today, there are about 280,000 Jews in the United Kingdom with the majority living in and around London.

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