ABSTRACT
So wrote architect Edward Jamilly 20 years ago in an article published in a volume to mark the centenary of the United Synagogue.1
The Case of the East London Synagogue
Until 1988 the East London synagogue in Stepney Green was the oldest surviving building of the United Synagogue in London.2 It was a magnificent edifice, designed by Davis and Emanuel in 1877, only seven years after the Act of Parliament which created the United Synagogue itself (the largest synagogal organization in Britain). £2,000 was raised by the Anglo-Jewish community at large to pay for the freehold and construction of the grand ‘cathedral’ synagogue in Rec tory Square to serve the spiritual needs of the poor, but ‘respectable’ Russo-Jewish immigrants in the East End. In 1927, the synagogue celebrated its Golden Jubilee and the 40 years ministry of its most famous preacher, the Revd Joseph F. Stern, who was dubbed the ‘Bishop of Stepney’ for his social work in East London.3 The East London synagogue was a fine, and increasingly rare, example of high Victorian Jewish architectural style. Its cavernous interior, with seat ing for 600, had a strongly oriental feel. It featured intricate woodcarving, brasswork, floor mosaics and leaded stained glass, all set off against a background of rich red brick. Above the imposing aron kodesh was a delightful rose window. There was even an eight foot tall solid mahogany pulpit. Yet, the plain, unadorned exterior on Rectory Square hardly merited a second glance, belying the riches within.
