The Duke Street Synagogue, Britain’s first Ashkenazi synagogue, closed its doors after final services last night. It had been in operation continuously for 255 yeas.
The first Ashkenazi synagogue opened in any English-speaking country, it gave rise to a number of Britain’s leading Jewish organizations. It is located in the East End, a Jewish populated district.
Badly damaged during the Nazi blitz of London, the building was temporarily reconstructed. Now it will make way for a street widening project and its spiritual place will be taken by a number of other synagogues which were established since the war’s end.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
