A century-old synagogue in London’s East End was to go up for auction on February 12, with a guide price of more than £2 million.
But the real estate web site where it was listed now says (Feb. 6) that it was sold before the auction, and a video on social media says that it was bought by a Muslim organization, the Ashaadibi Education & Cultural Centre, that put down a £250,000 deposit “to secure the contract” and has nine months to raise £3.5 million to secure the purchase.
The East London Central Synagogue, also known as Nelson Street Synagogue, was founded in 1923. It is owned by the orthodox Federation of Kehillas.
The red brick building, with a simple exterior and dignified interior design, is the East End’s only surviving purpose-built synagogue and one of just three remaining synagogues in the East End.
The synagogue was closed in 2020 after a leak in the roof caused part of the ceiling to collapse and, also due to impact of the covid-19 lockdowns, it has been largely disused ever since.
The building is a locally listed heritage asset, meaning that considerations would be involved in its development.
The synagogue was founded as Nelson Street Sfardish Synagogue (Hebrew name: Ohr HaChaim D’bnai Berdichev) at a time when London’s East End was a crowded Jewish neighborhood, largely made up of immigrants.
“Initially the style of service (nosach) was Sfardish or Sphardish, also known as Askenazi Sfard, which is not to be confused with Sephardi,” Patrick Comerford wrote in a 2023 blog post. “The name Sfardish refers to a style of service that differs slightly from mainstream Ashkenazi and is similar to Hassidic usage. The order of service and certain extra words to some of the prayers are similar to the Sephardic tradition, but the Hebrew pronunciation and tunes are Ashkenazi, as are most of the congregation.”
Today, the East End is largely Muslim. In articles HERE and HERE Leon Silver, who grew up in the neighborhood and was president of the Nelson Street synagogue in recent years, noted recent tensions with local people and efforts to foster dialogue among faith communities.
Read a detailed article about the synagogue and potentials for its future (possibly generated by AI)
Read a 2023 blog post about the synagogue’s history by Patrick Comerford