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JCR-UK is a genealogical and historical website covering all Jewish communities and
congregations throughout the British Isles and Gibraltar, both past and present.
NOTE: We are not the official website for this community.
City of Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to
Hull, is a city of about 250,000 inhabitants
located on the northern bank of the Humber estuary in northern England. It is a
major port as well as a trading and manufacturing centre which grew rapidly in the
nineteenth century,
becoming one of the largest points of entry for immigrants from Europe,
most of whom travelled on to America via Liverpool or Southampton.
Hull has
been a unitary authority since 1996. Prior to then, it was a district of
the now defunct administrative county of Humberside, which had been formed in
1974. After the abolition of Humberside in 1996, Hull was placed for ceremonial
purposes in the county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, having been a county
borough in the East Riding until 1974.
The Hull Jewish Community
The Hull Jewish community dates back to at least 1766, when the
first recorded Jew settled in the city. (The claim of a seventeenth
century synagogue has been largely discounted by
historians, including Israel Finestein.) By the 1780s, six or seven
Jewish resident families sustained a regular minyan and place of
worship.
In 1826 the Hull Hebrew congregation was formed by the amalgamation of the original congregation and a secessionist group which had been formed in 1809.
The advent of regular steamboat sailings from Hamburg and Holland from the 1830s, increased the number of Jewish immigrants arriving at Hull port and
although only a small proportion stayed the community grew to 200 by 1835. Hull became the religious centre for Jewish families from York, Scarborough, Boston and Louth.
Traces of mass immigration through Hull from the 1880s can be found at Hull's Paragon railway station -
where a designated immigrant platform and waiting rooms can still be seen. The site of a former Kosher hotel in the old town is marked by a blue plaque.
Despite its small size and post war decline, the Hull Jewish community made an outstanding contribution to the life of the city over many decades.
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Jewish Congregations
The following are the Jewish congregations that exist or existed in
Hull:
* An active congregation.
# The claim of a seventeenth century
synagogue at Daggers Lane has now been largely discounted by historians.
Further Background:
In the late
18th/early 19th centuries, synagogues were established in Postergate and Parade
Road, which merged in 1824 to form the Hull (Old) Hebrew Congregation, from
which Hull's Western Synagogue split from in 1903. The Hull Central
Synagogue was in existence from 1886 to 1976. Small short-lived
congregations were founded in the late 19th century in Great Thornton
Street, Nile Street and Prince Street. In 1928, the New Hebrew Congregation was
formed on the merger of the Hull Beth Hamedrash, Great Passage Street
(founded about 1910) and the Adelaide Road Synagogue (founded about 1926),
but which became defunct in the early 1940s.
The Reform congregation dates back to the mid-1960's. In 1994, the Hull
Old Hebrew Congregation reunited with the Hull Western Synagogue to form the
Hull Hebrew Congregation, the sole remaining orthodox congregation in the city.
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The following are former or alternative names of the above congregations:
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Hull's Communal Rabbis
In September 1956, the Hull Jewish community decided to appoint a
communal rabbi for the community's then existing three orthodox congregations.
(See Jewish Chronicle press report
of September 1956 reporting on the induction of the first communal rabbi.)
The following were Hull's communal rabbis:
(To view a short profile of either of the above rabbis, hold the cursor over his name.)
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On-line Articles and Other Material
relating to the
Hull Jewish Community
on JCR-UK
on third parties' websites
Some Notable Jewish Connections with Hull
(prepared with the assistance of Steven Jaffe)
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Marcus Bibbero (1837-1910), world-class swimmer and cross-channel coach,
who promoted life-saving techniques and municipal baths, was brought up in Hull
though born in Prussia. He performed swimming feats styled as Marquis Bibbero.
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Ellis Davidson (1828-1878), a pioneer in the study of art in the UK, was born in Hull.
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Lionel Davidson FRSL (1922-2009), author who wrote
spy thrillers and also children's fiction under the pen name David
Line, was born and raised in Hull.
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Sir Joseph Duveen (1843-1908), Dutch born art dealer and benefactor of art galleries, settled in Hull in the 1860s.
His son, Baron Duveen of Millbank (1869-1939), born in Hull, became one of the world's leading art dealers and
was a benefactor to Hull's Guildhall and Ferens galleries, as well as the British Museum and Tate Gallery.
He was made a Freeman of the City of Hull in 1929 and was raised to the peerage in 1933.
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Judge Israel Finestein QC (1921-2009), Deputy High
Court Judge, was born and raised in Hull. He was President of the
Board of Deputies of British Jews (1991-94).
A historian of British Jewry, he was twice president of the Jewish Historical Society of England (1973-75). He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Hull.
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Max Gold (1945-2017), solicitor, who represented families of crewmen who died when the trawler Gaul sank in 1974, was chair of Hull Kingston Rovers Rugby League club in the early 1990s.
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Neville Goldrein CBE (1924-2020), Leader of Lancashire County Council
(1977-1981) was born and raised in Hull.
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Mark Goulden (1898-1980), journalist and publisher, began his career as a cub reporter for several newspapers and became Managing Editor of the
Eastern Morning News, the Hull Evening News, the
Hull Weekly News and the Yorkshire Evening News while still in his twenties.
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Louis Harris MBE (1896-1975) made 255 appearances (and 76 tries) for Hull Kingston Rovers, and was later the club's coach and a director.
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Domini Highsmith (1942-2003) from Beverely, Yorkshire (about 10 miles north of Hull), a writer in Yorkshire dialect,
also wrote thrillers and autobiographical novels based on personal experience of childhood abuse.
Her pen names included Domini Wiles and Amy Van Hassen.
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Jacobs family:
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Bethel Jacobs (1812-1869), a silversmith and clock maker,
born in Hull. He
was a municipal and communal leader and helped found the Hull School of Art in 1861.
He was the father of Benjamin Septimus Jacobs and Charles Jacobs (see below).
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Benjamin Septimus Jacobs (1851-1931), architect, was a son of Bethel Jacobs. He
designed many Hull buildings - including the Yorkshire Penny Bank
(now Café Nero) in Queen Victoria Square, as well as Linnaeus
Street synagogue (where he served as president). Amongst other
synagogue commissions he was consulting architect for the Annesley
Street synagogue in Belfast (1904) and designed the Mikva and
baths at the Synagogue in Adelaide Road, Dublin in 1919.
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Charles Jacobs (1850-1919), engineer, was born in Hull and a son of Bethel Jacobs. Amongst a number of international commissions,
he designed the rail tunnel under the Hudson River in New York and also a number of tunnels to Penn Station which facilitated the development of mid Manhatten.
The Charles and Esther Jacobs Homes, Askew Avenue, near Pickering Park, in Hull was established after his death intended
for the over sixties with preference given to members of the Hull
Jewish community. The original houses were replaced in 2013 when
the charity merged with Pickering and Ferens Homes, but the estate
is still known as Jacobs Homes.
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Joyce Kennedy (née Harris) (1933-2021), a GP and anaesthetist in Salford,
was born in Hull. She
was a writer on classical music and joint editor of the multi-edition
Oxford Dictionary of Music (1980).
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Louis Lebus, German-born, a Hull-based cabinet maker during the 1840s and 1850s, in 1857 moved to London with his son,
later Sir Harris Lebus (1852-1907) where they founded one of the world's largest furniture factories, located in London's East End.
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Dame Maureen Lipman, DBE (born 1946), English actress, columnist and comedian,
was born in Hull and her father was president of the Central Synagogue.
She married playwright, Jack Rosenthal.
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Harry Pitch (1925-2015), harmonica player, perhaps best known for performing the opening theme of the TV series,
Last of the Summer Wine, was born in Hull and grew up in London.
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Wilf Rosenberg (1934-2019), South African Rugby Union international, played Rugby League
initially for championship-winning Leeds and then for Hull RFC (1961-63)
where he played 86 games and scored 42 tries.
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Harold Silver (1929-2021), educationalist and writer, was born and raised in Hull.
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Dame Valerie Strachan, DCB (née Nicholls); (b. 1940 in Hull), senior civil servant, was Chair of HM Customs and Excise (1993-2000).
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Isobel (Isy) Suttie (b. 1978 in Hull), is a musical comedian, actress, and writer.
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Dame Helen Suzman DBE (1917-2009), anti-apartheid campaigner, was awarded the Honorary Freedom of the City of Hull in 1987.
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Jewish Members of Parliament for Hull:
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Jewish Mayors and Lord Mayors of Hull (in chronological order):
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William Henry Moss, a convert from Judaism, was Mayor of Hull
in 1856 and 1862.
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Martin Samuelson, a convert from Judaism, was Mayor of Hull in 1858 and
Sheriff of Hull in 1857.
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Henry Feldman (1855-1915) was Mayor of Hull in 1906, 1907, 1908
and 1909.
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Benno Pearlman (1877-1945) was Lord Mayor of Hull
in 1928 and Sheriff of Hull in 1923, 1932 and 1939.
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Sir Joseph Leopold (Leo) Schultz, OBE (1900-1991) was Lord
Mayor of Hull in 1942 and Sheriff of Hull in 1968.
He led Labour controlled Hull City Council from 1945 to 1979. In 2011 a statue of Sir Leo was unveiled at the
Hull Guild Hall.
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Alfred Kyno (Alf) Jacobs (1897-1956) was Lord Mayor of Hull in 1952.
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Lawrence Science was Lord Mayor of Hull in 1958 and
1959.
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Lionel Rosen, OBE was Lord Mayor of Hull in 1972 and Sheriff of Hull in 1951.
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Lionel Pearlman was Lord Mayor of Hull in 1983.
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Jewish Sheriffs of Hull (other than those who served as Mayor or
Lord Mayor) (in alphabetical order):
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Victor Dumoulin (1836-1921) was Sheriff of Hull in 1902 and
his son, Edward Dumoulin was Sheriff of Hull
in 1910.
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Edward Gosschalk (1841-1925) was Sheriff of Hull in 1906.
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Marcus Segal was Sheriff of Hull in 1966.
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John Symons was Sheriff of Hull in 1890.
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University of Hull Academics and Alumni:
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Professor Jacob Bronowski (1908-1974),
Polish-born mathematician, best known as the author and presenter
of the Ascent of Man (BBC, 1973) taught at the University of Hull (1934-42). In 2012 a blue plaque to honour his connection to Hull was unveiled at his former home at 29 Hallgate, Cottingham.
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Lord Henry Cohen (first Baron Cohen of
Birkenhead) (1900-1977), leading medical doctor and author, was
chancellor of the University of Hull (1970-77).
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Dame Louise Ellman, DBE (b.1945 in Manchester, nee Rosenberg) Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside (1997-2019), graduated from the University of Hull in 1967.
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Dame Hazel Genn, DBE KC (hon.), born and raised in north London, a professor and leading authority on civil justice,
graduated from the University of Hull in 1970.
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Ludwig Lachman (1906-1990), economist and theorist, refugee from Nazi Germany, was head of the Economics Department at the University of Hull
(1943-48).
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Bernhard Neumann, AC FRS (1909-2002), a
Berlin-born refugee from Nazi persecution, was lecturer in mathematics at
the University of Hull (1946-48).
He became a leading figure in developing group theory, as was his wife Hanna and two children who were also mathematicians.
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Other Hull Jewish Institutions & Organisations
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Educational & Theological
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Hull Hebrew Schools.
There was already a Hebrew school for boys and girls in 1826 on the establishment of the
synagogue in Robinson Row.(xx)
Later, in 1901, the Chief Rabbi made it a condition for approving the
creation of the Western Synagogue that the complex include a school.(xxi)
It would appear, however, that in the early years of the twentieth
century, the Hebrew Boys' School
had closed,(xxii)
the boys attending State schools and receiving their religious education the synagogues' Hebrew and religious classes on weekday evenings
and Sundays(xxiii)
However, the Hull Jewish Girls' School, Linnaeus Street,
continued until the outbreak of World
War II.(xxiv)
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The Community's Chedar or Religious and
Hebrew Classes, existed under various names and at various
venues, including
Hull Boys Evening School, Linnaeus Street
(early twentieth century),(xxv)
the Cogan Street Hebrew Boys School (early
1920s),(xxvi)
the Communal Talmud Torah and the Communal Hebrew School.
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Welfare, Religious & Communal Organisations
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Jewish Representative Council (founded in
February 1945). Its official organ was a fortnightly newspaper entitled Hull Jewish Watchman,
inspired by Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Rabinowitz
in the 1950s.(xxx)
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Jewish Soup Kitchen , Lower Union Street "to
provide food on Sabbaths and Holidays to poor Jews arriving from
Continental ports."(xxxi)
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Ladies' Hebrew Benevolent Society (founded 1861)
"to grant relief of necessitous of Jewish faith and Jewish women
during sickness and confinement."(xxxii)
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"Malbish Aroomin" Clothing Fund (founded by 1880)
for the "purchase and distribution of clothing to poor men and
boys and to school children."(xxxiii)
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"Gemilous Chessodim" Philanthropic Society
(founded 1848).(xxxiv)
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Hull Hebrew Board of Guardians
(founded 1880)
for the relief of resident and casual poor,(xxxvii)
later (from about 1999) Hull Jewish Community Care(xxxviii)
with Women's Auxiliary Committee
(founded by 1931).(xxxix)
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The Clothing Guild (founded by 1903) "to
supply comfortable clothing to
necessitous families."(xl)
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Hull Shelter Society
(founded by 1910).(xli)
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Bikur Cholim Society
(founded by 1918).(xlii)
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Hebrew Emigration Philanthropic Society
(founded by 1920).(xlv)
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Board of Shechita
(founded 1920).(xlvi)
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Orphan Aid Society
(founded by 1925).(xlvii)
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Council for Jewish Refugee
(founded by 1938).(xlviii)
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Chevra Kadisha (unified society believed founded
in 1930s).(xlix)
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Council for Jewish Refugee
(founded by 1938).(l)
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Board of Guardians' Flatlets for the Aged, 225 Anlaby Road
(founded by 1965).(li)
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Friendly Societies, Lodges, etc.
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"Meshivas Nephesh" Benefit Society, subsequently renamed
Jacob Alper Society No. 2 Lodge
(founded 1849).(liv)
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"Sons of Israel"
(founded 1871).(lv)
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Order Shield of Israel Self Help Lodge No 30, previously
Hull Hebrew Self-help Friendly Society
(founded 1889).(lvi)
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Grand Lodge of Israel Friendly Society, Brotherly Help Lodge No.
19
(founded by 1907).(lvii)
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Grand Lodge of Israel Friendly Society Lodge No. 96
(founded by 1915).(lviii)
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Bnei Brith (no details)
(founded by 1915).(lxi)
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IOBB Friendly Society, Samuel Montague Lodge No. 22
(founded by 1932).(lxii)
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Bnei Brith Benno Pearlman Lodge
(founded by 1935).(lxiii)
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Bnei Brith Hull Lodge 1200
(founded by 1945).(lxiv)
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Social, Cultural, Youth & Sporting Organisations
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Jewish Lads Brigade
(founded in 1871).(lxvii)
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Hull Hebrew Literary and Debating Society (initially
known as the Hebrew Young Men's Literary and Debating Society) (founded
in 1895)
"for promoting the intellectual and social welfare of the Jewish
community of Hull."(lxviii)
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Hull Jewish Guild
(founded in 1899).(lxix)
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Hull Jewish Girls Club
(founded in 1900).(lxx)
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Hull Hebrew Recreation Club
(founded by 1900).(lxxi)
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The Century Club, Wright Street
(founded in 1901).(lxxii)
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Union of Jewish Women, Hull Branch
(founded by 1904).(lxxv)
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Jewish Social and Literary Union
(founded by 1908).(lxxvi)
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Gordon Social Club, White
House Hotel, Paragon Street
(founded by 1909).(lxxvii)
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Hebrew Working Men's Institute
(founded by 1915).(lxxviii)
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Jewish Boys Social Club
(founded by 1916).(lxxix)
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Hull Judeans Cricket Club
(founded in 1919).(lxxx)
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Jewish Girl Guides
(founded by 1929).(lxxxii)
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Jewish Youth Society
(founded by 1932).(lxxxiii)
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Hull Judeans Maccabi Association
(founded by 1932(lxxxiv)
and one of the constituent organisations that amalgamated to form
the Hull Hebrew Congregation
in 1994(lxxxv)),
including the Hull Judeans Table Tennis
Association.(lxxxvi)
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Jewish Boys Scouts
(founded by 1934).(lxxxvii)
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Hull Jewish Institute, 209 Anlaby Road
(founded by 1951).(lxxxviii)
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Jewish Literary Society
(founded by 1954).(lxxxix)
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Friendship Club
(founded by 1955).(xcii)
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League of Jewish Women
(founded by 1955).(xciii)
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Hull Jewish Golf Club
(founded by 1956).(xciv)
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University Jewish Students Association
(founded by 1965).(xcv)
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Parkfield Centre, Parkfield Drive
(founded by 1973).(xcvi)
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Hillel House, 18 Aukland Avenue
(founded by 1975).(xcvii)
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Zionist & Other Israel Organisations
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Zionist Association
or Zionist Society
(founded by 1911).(c)
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Hull Young Zionist Association
(later Institute)
(founded by 1919).(ci)
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Hull Junior Zionists
(founded by 1927).(cii)
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JNF Commission, branch
(founded by 1927).(ciii)
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Hull Joint Zionist Council
(founded by 1928).(civ)
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Habanim-Gedud
(founded by 1939).(cv)
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Women's Zionist Society
(later WIZO, Hull) (founded by 1939).(cviii)
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Palestine Women's and Children's Welfare Society, branch
(founded by 1947).(cix)
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World Jewish Congress, Hull Branch
(founded by 1949).(cx)
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Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
(founded by 1950).(cxi)
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Friends of the Anti-Tuberculosis League of Israel
(founded by 1952).(cxii)
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Daughters of Zion
(founded by 1955).(cxiii)
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Miscellaneous Institutions
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Jewish Naturalisation Association
(founded by 1906).(cxvi)
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Association of Jewish Ex Servicemen and Women (AJEX)
(founded in 1921).(cxvii)
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British Legion, Duveen Section
(founded by 1939).(cxviii)
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Trade Advisory Council
(founded by 1945).(cxix)
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Hull and District Council of Christian and Jews
(founded in 1947).(cxx)
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Public Relations Committee
(founded by 1948).(cxxi)
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Hull Jewish Cemeteries Information
(for records on the ALL-UK Database, see
above)
Hull had
definitely six, and probably as many as eights, Jewish cemeteries (one Reform and
the remainder Orthodox), as listed below. For details see the JCR-UK article
Hull's Six Jewish Cemeteries by David Lewis.
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Dagger Lane Burial Ground.
In 1774, when the Hull Town fortifications were levelled, human remains,
all facing east, were found together with various Jewish artefacts just inside the
town walls,
close to the former seventeenth century Dagger Lane synagogue, indicating the existence of an
old Jewish burial ground.
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Villa Place Cemetery. This was the first Jewish
cemetery, in what was previously known the Manor of Myton and Tupcoates (today off Walker Street, Hull). It
was in use from about 1780 until 1812 and held approximately 50 burials.
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Hessle Road Cemetery, (formerly Patrick's Ground
Lane), near Ropery Street. It was in use from 1812 until 1858 and had room for some 120 graves, although it is
believed that only about 75 were used.
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(It is considered likely that there was another Jewish cemetery in use at the same time as the Hessle Street Cemetery, but its whereabouts are unknown.)
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Delhi Street Cemetery, at the corner with Hedon Road.
This has been in use since 1858 and contains over 1,250
burials. The northern section was a separate Jewish cemetery used by Hull's
Western Synagogue from 1903 (when that congregation split from the then Hull Hebrew Congregation which
became the Hull Old Hebrew Congregation) until both
congregations were reunited in 1993 as the
Hull Hebrew Congregation.
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Ella Street Cemetery, in the Avenue area of Hull. This
has been in use since 1889. It started life as a private burial
ground of the Fischhoff family and was acquired by Hull's
Central Synagogue.
It was also used by Hull's
New Hebrew Congregation
from 1928 to 1941. It is now a cemetery of the
Hull Hebrew Congregation.
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Marfleet Cemetery. This is a cemetery of the
Hull Hebrew Congregation,
having initially been established in 1935 by
Hull Old Hebrew Congregation.
It contained over 450 burials (as of 2005). A new ohel was opened
here by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis in March 2017.
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Tranby Lane Reform Jewish Cemetery, Anlaby. This
is the Jewish Section of the Anlaby Cemetery and is the cemetery of the
Hull Reform Synagogue.
It was opened in 1975.
(For additional information, see
IAJGS Cemeteries Project - Hull)
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Hull Jewish Population Data
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Year
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Number |
Source |
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1837
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35 families |
(Paper by Israel Finestein) |
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1851
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200 |
(Chief Rabbis Census estimate) |
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1896
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1,350 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1896/7) |
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1898
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1,500 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1898/9) |
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1900
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2,000 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1900/1) |
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1906
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2,500 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1906/7) |
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1945
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2,000 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1945/6) |
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1965
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2,500 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1966) |
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1974
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500 families |
(The Jewish Year Book 1975) |
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1976
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540 families |
(The Jewish Year Book 1977) |
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1984
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1,400 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1985) |
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1990
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1,120 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1991) |
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1998
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650 |
(The Jewish Year Book 1999) |
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2003
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670 families |
(The Jewish Year Book 2004) |
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Notes & Sources
(↵ returns to text above)
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Jewish Congregations in the East Rising of Yorkshire
Jewish Communities of England home page
Page created: 21 August 2005
Page significantly
expanded and notes added: 16 April 2024
Page most recently amended: 25 July 2025
Research and formatting by David Shulman
Explanation of Terms |
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