My Semester in London

Tag: Jewish

Top Hats and Anglo Jewery

Shul

The Lauderdale Road Synagogue

This past weekend was the last of the Jewish holidays that I will celebrate while in London (at least until Chanukah). While these holidays are important in their own right, a big part of these celebrations is being with family and enjoying tradition. Being away from home, Jewish families from different communities invited me to celebrate with them. While it was difficult being away from home, it was interesting to see the unique jewish communities of London.

I had the opportunity to be with a traditional orthodox family and their community in Golders Green, as well as a Masorti family in Finchley (a denomination we don’t officially have in America). But by far the most interesting experience was my time spent with a Rabbi and his family who moved from NY to become the Chief Rabbi of the Spanish Portuguese Synagogues in London. While the words of the services might be the same, their traditions were totally foreign.

The men of the congregation wore  top hats. They used to wear Tricorn hats, until they became out of style, which oddly enough has not stopped the use of top hats. The services themselves were also different, using a choir, which is no longer a traditional part of most American Sephardic communities. They used different tunes, that resemble church hymns and ate a combination of undefined, Middle Eastern and English cuisine.

To more cultural immersion!

Cheers

Moved into Nido

I am all moved into my dorm. The rooms are small, but nice. The complex is way bigger than anything I am used to. There are two buildings and at least ten floors in each. I am living in an international dorm so the students come from countries all over the world and are attending different schools in London. I am living in a double and expecting my roommate in a day or so. The floor shares a communal kitchen, which will make it difficult to keep kosher, but I’ll manage. My friend actually showed me a way where you can make an omelet in a bag. Check out where I stayed here.

Cheers!

Arrived in London!

Finally arrived in London and already got to check out Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the changing of the horse’s guard. This weekend I went to the closest Jewish establishment near my student dorm to celebrate Shabbat. I live in the Borough of Islington, which is one of the smallest boroughs of London situated in Inner London.

As a Jewish student, it is important for me while living abroad to find a Jewish community to celebrate festivals and perform rituals. There aren’t many Jews in Islington, most live in suburbs of London like Golders Green and Hendon. The twenty Jews that I met when I went to synagogue were mostly elderly and lived outside of the area. The small turnout was surprising considering there are over 300 members of the synagogue paying dues. These few people come back to the synagogue every Shabbat (Saturday)  because they had a deep familial connection to the location: some had grandparents who got married there.

Cheers!