info@golondontours.com
020 8883 4169
by Rachel Kolsky
and Roslyn Rawson
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‘It’s not often that a guidebook gets people genuinely excited.
But the stunning Jewish London sets standards that are hard to beat‘ London Jewish News
What other people saying:
‘At last!’
‘What a book!’
‘The Time Out for Jewish London’,
‘Fascinating’,
‘Colourful’
‘A beautifully presented treasure trove of information’
Click HERE for details
Discover Jewish London through the centuries. Re-live the memories of the people, the places, the personalities. Go Jewish London provides a wide range of informative and fun tours.
All are bookable for private groups and there is also a range of public tours for those who want to book as individuals.
Many of these walking tours can be supplemented with a visit to make your tour that extra bit special for you. We can arrange for synagogues to be open for a tour or a talk. Depending on the tour you select, if you are in east London you might like to visit Sandys Row, Bevis Marks, Fieldgate Street or Nelson Street synagogues. Or maybe you might prefer to see the closed cemeteries in east London. Both the Ashkenazi and Sephardi burial societies are happy to work with us to make the arrangements.
In central London, there are a variety of places to visit with a Jewish theme. Maybe the New West End or New London Synagogue or the Czech Memorial Scroll Museum and of course, the Jewish Museum.
Another alternative is to complement the Jewish heritage walking tour with a visit to a venue not specifically linked to the Jewish community. For example, Wilton's Music Hall, the German Lutheran Church in Whitechapel or Denis Sever’s House. I will be pleased to help you arrange these visits and advise on any donations and entrance charges.
If you missed Rachel’s sold out Jewish East End tours DON’T MISS the next date!
JEWISH EAST END with visit to SANDYS ROW SYNAGOGUE
Sunday 18th October, 11.00am
This ever popular tour in and around Brick Lane and Spitalfields evokes the long-gone Jewish community of the late 19th and early 20th century. With synagogues, schools and soup kitchens the memories come flooding back and the tour ends with a special treat, an exclusive visit to Sandys Row Synagogue, a community founded in 1854 and housed in a converted Huguenot chapel built in 1766.
£15.00 Book via Jewish Museum / 020 7284 7384
VINTAGE GLAMOUR in London’s East End by Michael Greisman
TAKE A LOOK AT THE NEW WEBSITE
Capturing the career of Boris Bennett, the Cecil Beaton of Whitechapel, this book of classic glamorous wedding photos and portraits also includes essays by a member of Boris’s family, the fashion curator of the V&A and Rachel (yes the Rachel of Go London Tours!). The official launch was at the Bishopsgate Institute, followed by a panel discussion at the Jewish Museum and at Jewish Book Week. Rachel was thrilled to be speaking at both events.
Here is a lovely review from FamilyTree Magazine
Full details are at Hoxton Mini Press and Jewish Book Week
Go Jewish London
Public tours/talks
Recent and Coming Up Soon
To book see Public Tours
There are lots of walks scheduled for 2015. If you missed the first ones there are plenty more to come.
Check your diary and Book Now!!
2015
11th January - Hoop Lane Reform and Sephardi Cemetery
14th January - Bloomsbury with a Foreign Flavour
WITH EXCLUSIVE VISIT TO THE WIENER LIBRARY
19th February - Jewish Mayfair
22nd February - An East End Village: Mile End and Stepney
24th February - Growing Up on the 73 Bus ** SOLD OUT **
27th February - Vintage Glamour: Boris Bennett (JBW) ** SOLD OUT **
4th March - Stamford Hill ** SOLD OUT **
15th March - Jewish London on Location (Harrow Limmud)
18th March - Jewish East End ** SOLD OUT **
WITH EXCLUSIVE VISIT TO SANDYS ROW SYNAGOGUE
22nd March - Stitch, Stitch, Stitch * SOLD OUT *
WITH EXCLUSIVE VISIT TO CRESCENT TRADING
25th March - Royal Connections
12th April - Clapton ** SOLD OUT **
6th May - Jewish East End ** SOLD OUT **
WITH EXCLUSIVE VISIT TO SANDYS ROW SYNAGOGUE
10th May - For Richer, For Poorer: East End Weddings ** SOLD OUT **
17th May - Jewish Stokey
11th June - Jewish Theatreland
14th June - Willesden Cemetery - a second look ** SOLD OUT **
28th July - Mittel Europe in NW3
WITH EXCLUSIVE VISIT TO BELSIZE SQUARE SYNAGOGUE ** SOLD OUT **
STILL TO COME ...
23rd August - Jewish Hackney
20th September - Music, Mistresses and Masorti: St John's Wood ** NEW**
14th October - Willesden United Synagogue Cemetery ** NEWLY SCHEDULED **
18th October - Jewish East End
WITH EXCLUSIVE VISIT TO SANDYS ROW SYNAGOGUE
14th October - Balls Pond Road Cemetery ** NEWLY SCHEDULED **
1st November - Jewish Mayfair
3rd November - Jewish West End: Soho and Fitzrovia
13th December - Your Loyal Subjects: National Portrait Gallery
16th December - The Memory Lingers On (Virtual Tour - Lecture)
TO BOOK ANY OF THE TOURS see PUBLIC TOURS for details
PLUS AS FYI BY ORGANISATION
GO LONDON TOURS - 2015 PROGRAMME
24th February - Growing Up on the 73 Bus ** SOLD OUT **
DON’T MISS THIS SPECIAL EVENT WITH DAVID NEWMAN AND RACHEL
6th May - Jewish East End ** SOLD OUT **
DON’T MISS THIS CLASSIC EAST END TOUR incl. EXCLUSIVE VISIT TO
SANDYS ROW SYNAGOGUE
JEWISH MUSEUM - 2015 PROGRAMME OF WALKS
All Sundays. All 11.00am (unless otherwise stated)
REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR TOUR TICKET
it provides ‘Two For The Price Of One’ entry to the Jewish Museum
for three months following the date of the tour
22nd February - An East End Village: Mile End and Stepney (2.30pm)
22nd March - Stitch, Stitch, Stitch * SOLD OUT *
WITH EXCLUSIVE VISIT TO CRESCENT TRADING
12th April - Clapton ** SOLD OUT **
10th May - For Richer, For Poorer: East End Weddings ** SOLD OUT **
14th June - Willesden Cemetery - a second look ** SOLD OUT **
28th July - Mittel Europe in NW3 (Tuesday) ** SOLD OUT **
WITH EXCLUSIVE VISIT TO BELSIZE SQUARE SYNAGOGUE
STILL TO COME ...
23rd August - Jewish Hackney
20th September - Music, Mistresses and Masorti: St John's Wood ** NEW**
18th October - Jewish East End
WITH EXCLUSIVE VISIT TO SANDYS ROW SYNAGOGUE
1st November - Jewish Mayfair
MSCC - 2015 PROGRAMME OF JEWISH-THEMED WALKS
14th January - Bloomsbury with a Foreign Flavour
WITH EXCLUSIVE VISIT TO THE WIENER LIBRARY
19th February - Jewish Mayfair
17th May - Jewish Stokey
3rd November - Jewish West End: Soho and Fitzrovia
13th December - Your Loyal Subjects: National Portrait Gallery
16th December - Virtual Tour (illustrated talk) - Jewish East End
Note: MSCC also programme non-Jewish themed tours. See Public Tours
LJCC - 2015 PROGRAMME OF JEWISH-THEMED WALKS
4th March - Stamford Hill ** SOLD OUT **
18th March - Jewish East End ** SOLD OUT **
WITH EXCLUSIVE VISIT TO SANDYS ROW SYNAGOGUE
25th March - Royal Connections
11th June - Jewish Theatreland
Note: The LJCC has since merged with JW3 - after a break for the autumn I am thrilled to be returning to JW3 in Spring 2016
For details of tours, see below
To book see Public Tours
Group Tours
Select your Group Tour from the list below and then please use Booking a Tour to make your enquiry.
AN EAST END STORY
Discover the streets where fact has often merged with fiction. From 'The Children of the Ghetto' to 'The People of the Abyss' and 'Chicken Soup', the streets of the Jewish East End in Whitechapel have inspired Jewish and non-Jewish writers throughout the centuries to the present day. Included are short passages from writing by, amongst others, Israel Zangwill, Jack London, Arnold Wesker and Rachel Lichtenstein.
AN EAST END VILLAGE
Walking from Mile End, Stepney Green always comes as a revelation to visitors with its attractive terraced houses and green spaces. Memories of the Jewish community remain with the old age home, Stepney Jewish School, Rothschild Dwellings, the Jewish Anarchist Club and so much more.
ARCHITECTURE TO ACADEMIA, TAIL COATS TO THE TELEGRAPH:
BALLS POND ROAD CEMETERY * NEW *
This new tour explores the rarely visited and very much unknown Jewish Cemetery opened by the Reform movement in 1843. With several grand tombstones, the stories range from Queen Victoria's chiropodist, the founders of Angels and the Daily Telegraph, important leaders of the Anglo-Jewish community such as the Goldschmids, Mocattas and Montefiores and the grave of the first Jewish cremation in the UK.
AT HOME WITH THE ROTHSCHILDS
Piccadilly became 'Rothschild Row' when they made their money in the City but spent it on opulent homes in London's West End. Visit the sites of the homes of Lionel, Leo, Ferdy, Alfred and their neighbours including the Duke of Wellington and Disraeli and hear the stories of love and marriage, business and charity.
BAGELS TO BRADY STREET: EAST OF BRICK LANE
Explore East of Brick Lane - with the wonderful aroma of bagels, the sights and sounds of the street markets and designer stores you can really feel the memories of the Jewish community flood back with synagogues, the maternity home and Hughes Mansions whose residents were almost entirely Jewish when tragedy struck in 1945. This tour ends with a special treat, a visit to the closed cemetery of Brady Street.
CAMDEN TOWN - HOME TO THE JEWISH MUSEUM
Camden is an area that is full of contrasts from leafy crescents to "urban grunge". Learn of this area's development and the effect of the railways which was described graphically by ex Camden resident Charles Dickens. We'll visit famous Camden Lock, home to one of London's most popular weekend markets and we'll stroll by the Regents Canal which flows past Camden's industrial buildings and smart Victorian houses. Hear about the many famous personalities past and present who have made this area home.
*This walk can be arranged to end at the Jewish Museum where your group can then spend the afternoon*
CLAPTON
Explore the delights of Clapton including the childhoods of Harold Pinter, entrepreneurs Lords Levy and Sugar, stylish Marc Feld and singer Helen Shapiro amid the memories of Lea Bridge Road synagogue. The close-knit Clapton Jewish community of yesteryear has been transformed into the fast growing ultra orthodox community but the constant for both has been the pretty neighbourhood Springfield Park.
EAST END RADICALS
East London still evokes memories of the radicals and revolutionaries who worked tirelessly to improve the working and living conditions of the predominately Jewish community. The Sidney Street Siege, Rudolph Rocker and the doss-house that was home temporarily to Stalin and Jack London all feature on this tour.
FREUD IN HAMPSTEAD
Explore the memories of the Freud family in Hampstead. Sigmund Freud escaped Nazi occupied Vienna in 1938 to 'die in freedom' and his home in Hampstead became a magnet for other European refugees. But he was not the only Freud to leave his mark in NW3. This walking tour profiles Sigmund and his friends, his daughter Anna whose work with children continues to this day in Maresfield Gardens and his son, Ernst, an architect whose modernist houses remain as testament to his talent.
Note: The tour can be configured to end at the Freud Museum
JEWISH CITY - A WALK OF JEWISH FIRSTS
Set against the backdrop of the City of London we highlight the stories of Jewish Firsts, many of whom broke down the barriers of discrimination in Victorian England. We feature not only the first synagogues and the first Jewish MP but also a Lord Mayor, a Prime Minister and a Baronet.
JEWISH HACKNEY
Jewish life in Hackney was very vibrant. Your journey from Hackney Central to Dalston uncovers the stories of synagogues, boxing rings, Rothschild dwellings, socialist movements and the array of singers and writers for whom Hackney was their childhood home. You end at Ridley Road where bagels were sold amid the heckling of the Fascists.
Note: You may also like HACKNEY DOWNS TO THE LOWLIFE - a literary walk in Jewish Hackney through the words and experiences of writers such as Harold Pinter, Alexander Baron, Michael Rose and Roland Camberton.
JEWISH HAMPSTEAD: MITTEL EUROPE IN NW3
As the London Jewish community migrated northwards, Hampstead became a centre for those moving in intellectual and artistic circles. Walk through this leafy suburb discovering the stories of the German-Austrian refugees of the inter-war years who did not go east but settled in NW3, including Sigmund Freud, with his daughter Anna.
Note: This tour can either end at 2 Willow Road for story of Erno Goldfinger or include a visit to Belsize Square Synagogue
JEWISH MAYFAIR
This tour highlights the stories of those who spearheaded the move west to Mayfair beginning with Montefiore and the Rothschilds. Many followed them including politicians Disraeli and Hore-Belisha, members of the Marlborough House set such as Sir Ernest Cassels, and Wolf Barnato, one of the Bentley Boys.
JEWISH WEST END
Discover Jewish connections in Soho and Fitzrovia where the rich social history includes the West Central Lads' and Girls' clubs, Westminster Jews Free School, synagogues and London's most famous literary pub, once run by Jewish landlords.
JEWISH THEATRELAND
Explore the connections with Jewish actors, impresarios, writers and producers. The cast includes Lionel Bart, Lord Delfont, Barbra Streisand and many more. Credits are also due to Lyons for the refreshments, Moss Bros for the costumes and Freed for the dance shoes.
JEWISH WHITECHAPEL
In and around Commercial Road you can still find reminders of the vibrant Jewish community which lived and worked there. The streets and buildings evoke memories of local synagogues, street markets, medical missions and the Yiddish theatre. You will also visit Cable Street, the site of the battle against the fascists and home to Dr. Hannah Billig, the Angel of Cable Street.
LOYAL SUBJECTS
On this fascinating tour of the National Portrait Gallery you will discover members of the Jewish community who became representative British subjects in the fields of politics, finance, industry and culture. Their stories and those of the artists are also the story of the development of the Jewish community in the UK.
OLD JEWISH EAST END ** The classic Jewish London tour **
The Jewish community may no longer live in Spitalfields but the streets and buildings still evoke memories of the synagogues, schools and soup kitchens. Not forgetting Yiddish theatre and the street markets in and around Petticoat Lane. Stories of other immigrant communities of the area, such as the Huguenots and Bengalis are also woven into the tour.
ROYAL CONNECTIONS
This tour in and around Westminster follows in the footsteps of British monarchs (and a republican), past and present. Through churches, palaces and parks you will discover some background to 'the Firm', royal personalities and at the same time uncover Jewish connections through friendships, heritage and honours bestowed.
STAMFORD HILL: A SQUARE MILE OF PIETY
This has quickly become one of the most popular tours in the repertoire. Once a wealthy residential district for Rothschilds and Montefiores it is now home to the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. Discover the background to the various synagogues including Egerton Road, schools and shops, an historic sweet manufacturer, the difference between Bobover and Belz, Kedassia and Beth Din and taste some authentic rugelach.
STOKEY: A JEWISH VILLAGE
Today, the ultra-orthodox community predominates but with its neighbourhood park, numerous synagogues and shops, this tour provides an insight into the early Jewish migration from the East End northwards and community initiatives such as maternity homes, schools and social housing associated with communal leaders such as the Bearsted and Schonfeld families.
WILLESDEN CEMETERY: FURNITURE TO FINANCE, POLITICS TO PRAYER
Discover the many and varied members of the Anglo-Jewish elite for whom Willesden Cemetery is their last home. Their stories are fascinating ranging from the first Jewish MP and first Jewish Lord, both Rothschilds, discovery of DNA, diamond Randlords, the first Singers Prayer Book and a furniture manufacturer once the largest in the UK.
WILLESDEN CEMETERY - A SECOND LOOK: FOOTWEAR, FILMS, DIETS AND DANCING
If you enjoyed Rachel's first tour of Willesden Cemetery, join her to discover more of its fascinating residents including Jack Cohen and Charles Clore who dominated Britain's High Streets with their shoe shops and supermarkets. Band leader Geraldo, film director and gourmand Michael Winner, dietician John Yudkin also feature alongside Mrs Shilling with her amazing headwear.
WOMEN OF WORTH
Discover Jewish and non-Jewish women alike who made an impact on the Jewish community of the East End as you weave through the backstreets of Whitechapel and Spitalfields. Stories include those associated with Alice Model and her maternity hospital, Miriam Moses and her youth work, the philanthropy of the Rothschild ladies, suffragette and local politician Minnie Lansbury and local GP, Hannah Billig.
Shoshana Eden greeting cards now available!
A wonderful new range of Jewish shtetl and home life in Eastern Europe themed greeting cards by the Polish artist Shoshana Eden is now available online via Green Pebble and soon in gift shops too.
Discover more about Shoshana and her life and work HERE
