Jewish East End Celebration Society
4A Cornwall Mews South, London, SW7 4RX
[email protected]

Do you have information about the former Commercial Road synagogue or Israel Cohen, one of its founders?  Joshua Jacobs, one of Israel's descendants, would love to hear from you.

 He has written to say: 

I am searching for information about Israel Cohen, founder or one of the founders of the Commercial Road Synagogue in the East End. 

Israel was the son of my great-great-great grandfather Nathan/Nachem Cohen, originally from Plintsk, Poland, who settled in London somewhere in the late 1890s.  Israel’s brother was my great-great grandfather Louis (formerly Jossel/Joseph) Cohen, who left London and settled in Philadelphia.  

I’ve been doing genealogical research on my family off and on for a decade and finally am delving deeper into the Cohen branch.  

The reason for my inquiry is that Israel’s gravestone calls him the founder of the "Commercial Rd CT Synagogue".  Israel was born in 1874 in Plintsk, Poland and died in 1941 in London.  His parents Nathan and Rachel, as well as several siblings, fled Poland in the 1890s and settled in London.  Other children came to the U.S., including my great-great grandfather Louis Cohen. 

In the photograph of Israel’s gravestone where you can see the synagogue part etched at the very bottom.

I thought it was so amazing that my ancestor helped create a prominent synagogue in London in the early 20th century and am hoping someone might have an old photo of him or synagogue documents with his name included.  I’m not sure if his other siblings or relatives that remained in London were also involved, but the fact they put it on his gravestone is quite significant.  

I would love to find out more information about Israel and the founding of the original synagogue if someone has any additional knowledge. 

Any help is greatly appreciated.  

If you can help Josh, please email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  I will forward anything to him.

Commercial Road synagogue merged with the East London Central Synagogue at Nelson Street in the late 1960s.

Our magazine The Cable  had a short article about it some years back by my late brother PhilipZ"L, with some splendid pictures. Here is a chance to re-read it, with the photographs.

Commercial Rd Great synagogue 262 Commercial Rd from Sidney Street mid 1960s Pic 1

This splendid colour photograph from the 1960s, sent in by a kind reader, is a view from Sidney Street looking across the East End into Commercial Road and beyond, and includes the old Commercial Road Great Synagogue.

Note the cranes on the horizon arching above the long filled-in London docks. Note also the Victory pub on the corner of Watney Street, and the distant view of Tower Bridge. 

The synagogue, number 262 Commercial Road, is the square peaked roofed building to the right of the pub. Founded in 1920 it closed in 1968 to merge with the East London Central synagogue in Nelson Street. In its day it was a major Jewish community centre. 

The two black and white photographs date from the 1950s and show the synagogue interior. In the first, the synagogue’s Rabbi Shlomo Halstuck is addressing a meeting. On his extreme right sits Sid Borstein who financed the East End Scholarship centre Talmud Torah in Philpot Street, which closed in 1980.  The second shows him (with beard, seated) and others listening to the synagogue's boys choir. 

Resized Commercial Road synagogue pic 2 Rabbi Shlomo Halstuck 2 Commercial Rd Great Synagogue

 

 

Commercial Road synagogue pic 3 Rabbi Shlomo Halstuck Commercial Rd Great Synagogue

 

 

 

 

 

.

Latest news

  • Cinema book author needs your help

      Do you or your family have connections with the cinema in the East End? If so, Isabelle Seddon would love to hear from you. Read More
  • Three great films at JW3

    Three great films, including the Jewish East End classic East Endings, are being screened together at JW3, the Jewish cultural centre, in showings from Sunday April 6 through to April 10. Read More
  • Hackney History Festival returns for second year

    Not just the Jewish East End but the broader history and culture of an area that had a thriving Jewish life. Yes, the Hackney History Festival is back for its second year, even bigger and better. Running over two weekends, 10–11 May and 17–18 May, with satellite events throughout May, this year’s festival is a celebration of Hackney’s incredible past, with a jam-packed programme of Read More
  • Brady Clubs exhibition commemorates two great East End institutions

    Those great East End institutions The Brady Clubs are commemorated in what is set to be a superb exhibition at Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives from March 14 to June 21. Read More
  • Do you know the Gramophone Man?

    JEECS has been asked if anyone knows the name of the Gramophone Man, pictured here, his back story, when he retired, and the sort of music he played. Read More
  • More emerges about H Lotery and Co

    A while back, we had a reader asking if anyone had any information about a company his mother had worked for in the East End and which she remembered as being called Lottries. The inquiry sparked some fascinating replies, which identified the company as H Lotery and Co, and we've just had a response from the grandson of the company's Read More
  • Project seeks material and memories from the legendary Yiddish poet A.N. Stencl

    Did you know or do you have material from the Polish-born Yiddish poet Avrom-Nokhem Stencl (also known as A. N. Stencl) who was once famous in east London for selling his celebrated Yiddish magazine Loshn un lebn (Language & Life), for running his Friends of Yiddish Saturday afternoon literary society and for his many acclaimed publications of Yiddish poetry? Stencl Read More
  • Two great East End events

    Two great East End related events take place next month. First, Tower Hamlets Local History Library in Bancroft Road, Mile End, has what should be a fascinating free talk on Thursday, 5 September (18.30 - 20.00hrs) entitled “The Petticoat Lane Foxtrot”. The next day, September 6, sees the opening of a great exhibition at the Brady Arts and Community Centre, 192-196 Hanbury Read More
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3

For the old Jeecs site, visit www.jeecs.org.uk/archive