Celebrate the rich Jewish history in Islington and its landmarks by going on a self guided tour along Untold Stories Islington Jewish Heritage Trail. 

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Islington was once one of the most prominent Jewish communities in the UK, yet the last local synagogue closed in 1967. The establishment of Chabad Islington in 2011 has revived Jewish life in the borough. The Islington Jewish Heritage Trail integrates the story of the Jewish community into the wider story of Islington. You will discover how a migrant and religious minority community contributed to the borough and shaped the identity and heritage of the city and the nation as a whole.

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When does the Jewish community graduate from being a vulnerable migrant community? To feel safe and accepted to celebrate their rich culture and heritage and at the same time be contributing members of the wider London family? How long does that last? At what point does Islington become your home? 

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You are welcome to go on a self guided tour by using this map and the online digital map with additional resources and stories. You can also contact us and book a guided walking tour led by a local historian.

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Untold Stories is a £1m Mayor of London fund to help communities test, develop, create and grow projects that share their community’s stories with the city. Untold Stories is supporting 70 projects across the city. Projects include a ‘walk of fame’ celebrating the role of Irish and Pakistani workers in Cricklewood; an augmented reality map highlighting Poplar’s hidden histories; a new mural in Croydon created by and for learning disabled artists; and new walking tours that offer a homeless perspective of London’s streets.

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Of the entire Mayor of London's Untold Stories scheme, the Islington Jewish Heritage Trail is the only one to be delivered in the Borough of Islington. The project has been delivered by the only local Jewish synagogue and community Centre, Chabad Lubavitch of Islington. 

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The trail celebrates the rich Jewish history in Islington and shares stories of Jews that lived, worked and thrived in our Borough over the past 300 hundred years. Stories include people from all walks of life and background, coming from different Jewish origins, prime ministers to musicians, prisoners to refugees.