Brighton & Hove is a city revitalising its Jewish life as vibrant, accessible and embraced by a connected community.
It caters for Orthodox, Reform and Progressive Jewish synagogues.
The community is supported by the Sussex Jewish Representative Council and the Brighton & Hove Jewish Welfare Board.
The latest addition is the BNJC (Brighton Jewish Community centre), a mixture of communal facilities (synagogue, restaurant, communal spaces, and housing).
Brighton's heritage is being preserved through projects like Middle Street Synagogue, which is being restored and reinvented as a cultural heritage centre.
Brighton also acts as hub for Jewish life in Sussex, especially through the Sussex Jewish News magazine.
This reaches out to cover Worthing, Eastbourne, Hastings and wider.
"Our Jewish History" is a heritage project which has collected stories and archives of Jewish legacy in Brighton and surrounding areas.
Reply to Clare Ray. I am David Sawyer your second cousin, I can give you some more info
Clare Ray, my husband’s grandfather was Alexander Sawyer, possible brother (twin brother?) to Jack Sawyer. Alec dies in Autumn 1973. There were 2 older brothers too, Isaac and Louis. Mother Rachael Sawyer was born in Poland but we don;t know the maiden name. Widowed by 1911.
I recently heard about a Holocaust survivor in Hove. Her name is Shindy Perez. My wife is a Russian Jew who was raised in Hungary. We would love to make contact with this precious lady. Any suggestions how we could get a note to her?
I was born in Hove in 1947. My grandparents Jack and Ann Sawyer lived in Brighton and were active members of Middle Street Synagogue for many years. Jack was wounded and captured on the Somme in WW1 and spent the rest of the war in a POW camp with some Newfoundlanders, but i don’t know where the camp was. He arrived back in UK in early 1919 and my mother Sybil Sawyer was born in 1920. I think he was treasurer of Middle Street and also
with the Chevra Kadisha. Does anyone know any more?
Hello, i wonder if you could help me with any information in regard to my paternal Grandmother. Her maiden name was Frances or Francine Issacs from London. She married out to Henry Frederick Leonard Matthews and they lived at 69 East Street Brighton before WW 2 and she went to the Middle Street Synagouge. I was contacted a few years ago by distant relatives in London who were related through my Grandmothers brother, they said that they had a loT of info on the family but after communicating with them for a while they have stopped talking to me, why i don,t know as i explained to them that i was an only child of an only child but to no avail.their names are Mary and Margaret Mercati of Covent Garden. I know my Grandfather told her at the outbreak of war that she is not to go to the Synagouge for obvious reasons, also i do not have any birth, death or marriage certificates. TIA Michael Matthews
I’m not sure if anyone can help me
But here goes
I was born to an orthodox Jew in 1953 … she sold me to another Jewish couple and then after a year, the lady died and the man couldn’t cope, so I was again sold to a couple in Staines.
My birth mother’s name was Rose Goldstein
But when she married she married out and was ostracized… I’m the 4th child of 5 she kept all the others … my 2nd adopted mother was either Itzbitzski.. Dorothy or Dora .. then either Jacobs then Joel .. both my mums had a go between called Simma Mark’s and they went to Brighton when they all arrived.
Dora Joel was engaged to a man surname Cowan … ive found a photo of them together with a baby, it wasn’t me … very complicated I know especially as people used to change their surnames … this is a cry for help as I have no one to ask and it would be lovely to know if I have any family
My lovely Nan – Dorothy Levitus Pope passed away on Easter Sunday age 99.
She was born next door to middle street synagogue and the last of that era and her Rabbi was Rabbi Fabricant.
Due to her passing and wish everything going on we are generally struggling with her funeral please see a link to a go fund me any small donation would be very much appreciated
http://gf.me/u/xw366n
I have distant Sheftz cousins from Hove.
I have lived in three of these places and was born in Hove.
I would like to bekept up to date with the histories of these communities.