Redbridge community leaders are “devastated” at the closure of the last remaining supervised bakery in the area.

Golan Bakery in Gants Hill shut last Friday, ending weeks of speculation over its future.

A London Beth Din spokesman said it was a “business decision”. Local sources suggested owner Michael Melamud — who declined to speak to the JC — had decided to retire.

The bakery had been a fixture in the area for some 30 years and its closure continues the decline of kosher food options in Redbridge.

In an effort to maintain supplies, Orthodox rabbis are co-ordinating efforts to deliver kosher milk and baked goods from Grodzinski’s in Stamford Hill to the local Chabad Lubavitch premises for weekly collection by shoppers who pre-order.

Rabbi Aryeh Sufrin, executive director of Chabad North-East London and Essex, told the JC: “We’re extremely upset — we’re devastated. Obviously this has been a hot topic over the past couple of months and it’s a big void for us.

“In the interim, there are numerous initiatives being taken to ensure there are provisions in the community for those who want them. A lot of people drive to North-West London or Stamford Hill almost on a daily basis.

“But some people here don’t have cars — there are a lot of elderly people who don’t drive.”

Longer term, the feasibility would be examined “of perhaps having someone else open a shop, or having collections out of an already-existing shop”.

Rabbi Sufrin added that without the alternative arrangements, Golan’s closure would have represented “another nail in the coffin of East London Jewry”.

Although the Redbridge community has shrunk over recent decades, the rabbi said it was an “unfortunate misconception” to attribute the reduction in numbers solely to migration to North-West London.

“Much of the community has moved more into rural Essex. But the community still has a lot of vibrancy and has a lot going on.

“Things like this are unfortunate. It just means we come up with some plan, rather than cry about it.”

Rabbi Jeremy Conway, director of the Beth Din’s kashrut division, commented only to thank Mr Melamud for “his hard work and dedicated service over so many years”.