From the first settlers from France in 1066, to more recent newcomers such as Israelis and South Africans, Jewish people have migrated to Britain for a variety of reasons and from a multitude of places. Our collections represent stories of origins, journeys and settlement across space and time.
Dora Shushter Collecting for the London Jewish Hospital
Photograph of Dora Shuster, by Isaac Perkoff, holding a collecting box marked “Jewish Hospital Fund” in Yiddish.
Lokshen-making Machine
Lokshen making machine brought to England from Russia by a Jewish woman who emigrated at the end of the 19th century. Lokshen is the Yiddish name for thin noodles.
Primrose Leaves Magazine
Primrose Leaves magazine which was produced by the Primrose Jewish Youth Club. The club was founded in 1946 by young survivors of the Holocaust.
Doll Brought on the Kinderstransport
This doll belonged to Edith Rothschild, who was born in Frankfurt in 1925. On 11 May 1939, Edith came to Britain on the Kindertransport carrying the doll with her.
Luggage Label for Margrit Freudenbergova
This identifying tag was worn by 17-year-old Margit Freudenbergova on her journey from Prague in 1939. She was one of 10,000 Jewish refugee children who were admitted to Britain between December 1938 and September 1939
Thank You Card
Thank you card made and signed by young refugees of Dovercourt Bay Holiday Camp (near Harwich) addressed to Mr and Mrs Bond, the camp manager and his wife.
Travelling Trunk
Travelling trunk used by Ernst Kohnstamm, a German hop merchant who travelled all over Europe
Libseth Sokal’s Apron
Apron worn by Lisbeth Sokal, who came to Britain in 1938 as a refugee from Nazism. Lisbeth was granted a visa to work in Britain as a domestic servant.
Polish Bonnet
Bonnet belonging to a Jewish woman who migrated from the village of Nowy Dwor in Poland to Wales in the late 19th or early 20th century. She would have worn the bonnet over a sheitel, a wig traditionally worn by orthodox Jewish women to cover their hair.
Zangwill Plate
Decorative plate presented to the prominent writer and political activist Israel Zangwill in 1915 by Morris Myer, editor of the Yiddish newspaper, Di Tsayt.
