Do we have a Jewish community in Sheffield?

[libuse]

andco

 

There is nothing new under the sun and the 'Dislike of the Unlike' will always be with us.

 

To endeavour to educate rather than retaliate is one reason Jews fit in so well with the communities they live in in Sheffield.

 

Once an ethnic group start to take to the streets, retaliate or turn to terrorist activities then they tarnish the whole community they belong to.

 

I don't have to draw any pictures to make this point.

 

In the same way that Martin Luther King tarnished the whole community he belonged to?

[barnsleybroker]

There does seem to be a lot of hatred towards Jews in Sheffield though, if you go to the Jewish cemetery on Parson Cross, just look at all the recent racist anti- Jewish graffiti round there.

 

That's disturbing, I didn't know that.

 

The Jewish community in Sheffield used to centre around Scotland Street, with many Jewish-owned business in the West Bar area. If memory serves, there is an old synagogue somewhere between Broad Lane and Kelham Island in that maze of little lanes on the hill, but I could be wrong. The local history section of the Central Library has some publications on Sheffield's Jewish history.

[PopT]

The old Sheffield Synagogue is at the rear of Sheffield Cathedral on North Church Street.

 

You can still see the decorated doorway on the right hand side as you walk down.

 

Maybe some one has a photograph.

 

This is where the Jewish factions split years ago.

 

Oy Vay! Unhappy Days!

[stevie1957]

My grand-dad once told me that there was a Jewish community in Attercliffe before WWl. These people came here from Germany to escape anti-semitism (yes there was anti-semitism in Germany before the Nazis). Unfortunately, when WWI broke out they had “a bit of a rough time”.

[NEKRO138]

I have to admit, my knowledge of the Jewish faith and it's traditions is very limited, but I have never seen a man wearing a skullcap in Sheffield ever.

 

Having visited New York and London recently, it was unusual to me to see a large number of people wearing them.

 

I have only ever known one Jew, and he wasn't practising, he was just from a jewish family.

 

It does seem to me that Sheffield doesn't have a large Jewish community. I might be wrong.

[Plain Talker]

I have to admit, my knowledge of the Jewish faith and it's traditions is very limited, but I have never seen a man wearing a skullcap in Sheffield ever.

 

Having visited New York and London recently, it was unusual to me to see a large number of people wearing them.

 

I have only ever known one Jew, and he wasn't practising, he was just from a jewish family.

 

It does seem to me that Sheffield doesn't have a large Jewish community. I might be wrong.

 

not every Jewish chap will wear the "Yarmulke" (skull cap), all the time, nekro, in the same way that you may not see a Muslim man wearing his prayer-cap all the time. Some Muslims, and some Jews wear them constantly, some only put them on to go to prayer or services in the mosque or synagogue.

 

some Jews are "orthodoox", some Jews are "reform" (some are really only nominally Jewish). again, it depends on what form they are following.

 

there is a very orthodox-looking Jewish family that I see frequently, in asda, and around the Ecclesall Area, where the father wears the yarmulke, he has the "locks" and a generous beard. He is usually accompanied by four or more children, the boys amongst them also wear Yarmulke. (byy "looking orthodox", I mean that he looks like a Hasidic Jew, wearing the kind of clothes you'd see in Golders green etc)

 

MY best mate, at school, Ruth was Jewish. I know the family did go to the Wilson Road Synagogue, but her mother (as I remember, through the mists of time ) didn't wear the scheitl (headcovering or wig) that the Hasidic women and many orthodox Jewish women wear. Her father didn't have "locks". they definitely "kept Kosher" I remember sharing meals with them whilst studying at their house, with Ruth.

 

I had another couple of friends whose family were part of a reform synagogue.

[Ousetunes]

I didn't notice any desecration at the Jewish Cemetery between Parsons Cross and Ecclesfield when I attended a funeral there a couple of months ago. I was there for the funeral of Tony Winston who was my Best Man's step-father. He used to run the chemist on Ecclesall Road opposite Yankees.

 

It was the first Jewish funeral I had been to, quite interesting but a little long-winded IMO. I noticed how all the gravestones, bereft of any flowers whatsoever, lie facing east. It was a pretty little cemetery. Further, in the 1970s, when I lived in Ranmoor, our neigbour was a Mrs Kaddisch (sp?) - another name synonymous with Sheffield's small Jewish community. And then there are the Patnicks of course.

 

The entourage that made the journey up the M1 for Tony's funeral consisted of many top class cars like Mercedez and large 4 by 4s. I think it's true that they know how to look after the pennies!!

 

As I said, my Best Man was indeed my best mate during school days and I don't think he suffered any more abuse than your average fourteen year old going through puberty and the tedium of school. The main difference between me and him was that he was always better on guitar than me and he still is!

 

I reckon if my grandad Herbert was still around, he'd regale us in a story or two about Sheffield's Jewish community!

[malujo]

I've just seen this really old thread. Speaking as a 60 year old Jewish woman who left Sheffield aged 7 but never forgot my huge affection for the place, yes it had a small but vibrant community in my time, very well integrated into the local community. My grandparents came at the beginning of the 20th century from Poland and lived in the very downmarket area of Attercliffe. My grandfather began to work as a tailor and my grandmother sold sweets. They all survived the WW2 bombing though their relatives back home were less lucky. Their 4 children had little (first up best dressed) and I assure you there were and are poor Jews. My mother became a hairdresser and married a teacher. We are really just like anyone else!

[Bertielil]

I too, have just found this thread. When I was at school in the 60's there were 3 Jewish girls in my year, one of whom was a particular friend. My abiding memory is of the truly wonderful welcome given to me whenever I visited her home. I shared many a lovely meal with her family and can remember being fascinated by the ritual before and during the Friday evening meal. The Jewish girls always brought their own food on holy days and would sit with us in the canteen to eat whilst we were tucking into meat pie, lumpy mash, gritty gravy and other such abominations, I was always envious.

[Hetty]

Tho I was brought up CofE, the Jewish faith has always held a keen interest for me. I understand it is not only a religion, more a way of life, very family minded. My father was very Jewish looking, infact his Jewish boss said my father looked more Jewish than he did.!!! Stick a homburg hat on him and oy vey!!!!