JHSE | Jewish Historical Society of England

First message from new JHSE President

Dear JHSE Members, It is a great pleasure to write my first message as your new President. As I take on this role I am humbled by the...

British Jews in Jeopardy - 1933-1945 and Beyond: The Role of the Trades Advisory Council

by Lenny Goodrich Introduction “A Nation….is a group of persons united by a common error about their ancestry and a common dislike of their neighbours”. i We are indebted to the family of the late Maurice Orbach (former Labour MP and prominent Zionist) for depositing extensive papers and other material with the National Archive relating to a significant, yet under-reported aspect of pre-war years Anglo-Jewish life. Orbach was the influential general secretary of the Tr

Jewish Historical Society of England

The Jewish Historical Society of England is a membership-based society with a wealth of resources:

lectures and visits
access to archives
a peer-reviewed journal
research awards
a thriving community of local branches & more.

Since 1893...

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Branches

JHSE branches bring history alive on a local level with a variety of events and activities throughout the year

South London, Kent & Surrey

News

Book release: Jamaica’s Jewish Doctors:1690-1850 by Kenneth Collins

Beautifully illustrated, this book tells the fascinating story of Jamaica’s small Jewish community, its religious life, its rich culture, art, literature and journalism and the links with Britain and the Portuguese community in London. A remarkable number of forty doctors, mostly of Portuguese origin, studied and graduated in medicine in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. They include a surgeon knighted for his service in the British Army, country doctors, an internatio

Émigré Art Networks in Britain

25 NOVEMBER 2026 AT 10.00–17.30 A free one-day symposium exploring the influence of émigrés on British art and culture at Tate Britain This symposium will draw inspiration from our current archive display Together on this Island: Émigré Art Networks in Britain to present the work of art world figures who migrated to Britain from continental Europe in the mid-20th century, many fleeing Nazism, and to consider their contribution to British culture. Drawing on archival research

Stories from the Lost and Found - The Library of Lost Books at Leo Baeck College Library

An original exhibition in the Lily Montagu Reading Room at Leo Baeck College, London 26th November 2026 – 22nd October 2027 Curated by Dr Kinga S. Bloch in collaboration with Cassy Sachar and the citizen scientists of Leo Baeck College The Library of Leo Baeck College was among the first partner institutions to host Library of Lost Books search days. It holds a collection of 250 books from the Hochschule, including rare Judaica that were saved from Nazi Germany by courageous