Surely we can save this piece of East End history?

It was clear to me the minute I set foot inside Nelson Street that it is more than a shul; it’s an architectural superstar. Fast forward to February 2026 and I feel both bewildered and saddened that this superstar is about to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, with an auction date set for Thursday, February 12. Nelson Street is a locally listed building. However, it is not a nationally listed building, giving it a lower level of protection. Nelson Street shul’s future is a question mark.

I first heard about the upcoming auction a few days ago, on a Facebook group for those interested in the UK’s historic synagogues. Most of the comments under the post echoed my own feelings – there is so much history, both personal and communal, within a shared Jewish space. So many family stories were lived out in this shul -–from weddings to bnei mitzvahs, and beyond, and there’s a strong sentiment of wanting, or, perhaps needing to save this space, and these stories, for future generations.

There are some who feel differently. Comments in the Facebook group reiterate that the building hasn’t been fit for purpose since 2000, when its roof collapsed, and given that the community has moved away, some feel that saving Nelson Street is not something that is worth a fight. All of this being considered, I still find it shocking to conceive of turning the space into apartments or some other commercial venture, when surely it could (and should) be repurposed for the greater good of London’s wider Jewish community? And aren’t many young Jews moving back into the East End? 

The shul's exterior (Photo: Amy Schreibman Walter)[Missing Credit]

This is a shul that was in continuous use since its founding in 1923. Over time, multiple shul congregations merged with Nelson Street as their congregants moved away from the East End. Their histories are preserved on multiple plaques, all of them housed at Nelson Street. Nelson Street was a stalwart of London’s Jewish East End. It only closed briefly during the Blitz, and, amazingly, survived the bombings with all of its original plasterwork in tact.

Even after the bulk of the Jewish community left the East End, Nelson Street was still functioning. It was often visited by historical societies and Jewish East End walking tours, was host to Holocaust Memorial Day events, and was even a participant in Open House London. As one of only two synagogues in the borough of Tower Hamlets, Nelson Street was a regular destination for local school children and until its closure in 2000, the shul did a stellar job of interfaith education.

Surely superstar shuls such as Nelson Street don’t die of a collapsed roof or of damaged infrastructure in need of repair. Surely they can live again in new ways, after receiving some TLC in the form of a cash boost and some fixing up? The Manchester Jewish Museum is located inside a refurbished listed Victorian synagogue, a project which was made possible through National Lottery funding and community fundraising, Nelson Street, too, needs an infusion of money in order to find a new purpose.

In other European countries, and beyond, there is precedent for historic shuls in neighbourhoods where the Jewish population has largely diminished, (akin to what has happened in London’s East End) being repurposed as Jewish museums and Jewish heritage centres, bookshops, venues for hire, and even restaurants. Wales, a country with a Jewish community a fraction of the size of England’s, is about to open their first Welsh Jewish Cultural Centre, located in the refurbished Merthyr Tydfil Grade ll listed Victorian synagogue.

London’s only Jewish museum lost its site in 2023 and has yet to secure a new building, and London is currently one of the very few western European capital cities without a Jewish museum. And unlike the state subsidised Jewish museums in other European cities, any future Jewish museum or heritage centre in London will greatly depend on investment from private backers. In Merthyr Tydfil, funding was secured for the new Jewish Cultural Centre through a combination of government grants, national lottery funding and private backing. If Merthyr Tydfil can wave a magic wand and create such a special new space for its people and visitors, surely London can, too?

While there is planning underway to create a Heritage Centre telling the story of the Jewish East End at the nearby historic and storied Sandy’s Row synagogue, an area so rich in Jewish history needs to save all that is left of its precious Jewish buildings, and the stories that they contain within, for future generations of Londoners and for those visiting London, too.

It feels to me to be a tragedy in the making that a sanctuary which was once a hub in a vibrant Jewish community has an uncertain future. The time to speak up and save this shul is now. We need to preserve our history before it is too late.