Sandys Row Synagogue, one of only two shuls still functioning in London’s East End, has received nearly £200,000 in grants to support a project which aims to ensure its future as a place of worship, heritage, and learning.
The synagogue is located inside a Grade II listed building, a former Georgian Huguenot Church, which was acquired by a group of immigrant Dutch Jews in the mid-19th century.
It is the oldest surviving Ashkenazi synagogue in London, open for Jewish worship since 1854, and retains its historic bimah, ark, and ladies gallery.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund, which helps to preserve, protect, and celebrate the UK’s heritage, has given a grant of £145,092 to the project. The Wolfson Family Charitable Trust has provided an additional £40,000.
Funds will be used to commission urgent ceiling repairs in a historic meeting room, carry out a comprehensive condition survey, and obtain a Statement of Heritage Significance.
The project will also look to create long-term stability by replacing reactive repairs with a costed conservation roadmap, and by strengthening local partnerships to build new income.
“Sandys Row Synagogue has a very special history, and we have many members who trace their ancestry back to the founders,” said synagogue chair Harvey Rifkind.
“We are delighted to have received these two grants […] to help ensure the future sustainability of this beloved building, and ensure its continuing role engaging the wider community of the area.”
As well as the synagogue’s leadership and congregation, the Foundation for Jewish Heritage will also work on the project.
“We are eager to work with the synagogue community to help preserve the site and also explore how it might become a centre for presenting the legacy of the Jewish East End,” said Michael Mail, the organisation’s CEO.
This is not the first time lately that The National Lottery Heritage Fund has supported a historic synagogue; it provided a grant of £112,740 to Middle Street Synagogue in Brighton earlier this year.
“Historic places of worship play an important role in connecting communities with their shared history, culture, and identity,” said Stuart McLeod, director of England (London & south) at The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
“This project will help safeguard this remarkable synagogue and enable more people to discover and engage with its unique heritage for generations to come.”
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