Wales: Jewish history, then and now

Bangor University research has revealed that Jews first settled in north Wales during the building of Edward I's castles, according to a BBC story.

According to the story, Dr. Nathan Abrams and Dr. Sally Baker have put together a touring exhibit of their findings, celebrating regional Jewish history.
Abrams would like to hear from anyone with more information on the Jewish diaspora in Wales.

(Photo: The Wartski family of Llandudno. Their business had a branch in London's Bond Street. See below for more.)

See the exhibit at Bangor University's Main Arts Building, 16-30 October, and in Neuadd Dwyfor, Pwllheli - just don't ask Tracing the Tribe to pronounce that! - 6-20 November.

Previous studies have focused on 19th and 20th century Jewish communities, but there is evidence that Jewish families settled in fortified towns like Caernarfon and Beaumaris back in the 13th century.

“I think because Jews were mainly used for financing at that period, they were there to assist with the castle-building programme,” said Dr Abrams.

“In 1290, the Jews were expelled from England, and a little earlier from Wales. This was right at the height of the building work."So I think once they'd fleeced them, they expelled the Jews and their properties were appropriated.”

The exhibit was funded by a £19,000 grant from Beacon for Wales.

From ancient history, the exhibit then looks at Eastern European immigration in the 1800s. According to Abrams:

“They travelled out from places like Liverpool into the Welsh countryside as peddlers.

“But eventually they set up communities first in Bangor, then in Llandudno, Colwyn Bay, Rhyl and Wrexham.”

Those peddlers moved on to renting small shops, and then owning large stores like Pollecoff's of Pwllheli and Wartski’s of Bangor and Llandudno, which boasted of being 'By Royal Appointment’.

According to the story, Isidore Wartski become the mayor of Bangor, and is believed have been the first Jewish mayor in Wales. The Wartski store even had a branch in London's Bond Street.

The area's Jewish communities have dwindled since the mid-20th century. Although there is no longer a Bangor synagogue, there is a small one in Llandudno run by Manchester's Orthodox community. During the summer, however, Abrams says there are notices in the Orthodox press of Jewish services being held all over Wales.

Read the complete story at the link above.

Ancestry: The UK-Wales death index

Ancestry.co.uk posted a very low key release of an important dataset, according to our good friend Laurence Harris, "our man" in London.

He reported that there's now a full name searchable death index for all deaths in England and Wales for 1916-2005.

Instead of having to search for a name visually on multiple images of the GRO index pages for each quarter year, readers can now do an easy name search in one-shot for 1915-2005. Another great boon is that wildcards and non-exact (variant) spellings are allowed.

This is sure to be a great tool for everyone searching the death of an ancestor in England.

Laurence easily found entries for the deaths of both of his great-grandparents (KLONOWSKI) in the record time of 20 seconds. He also checked for a grandparent whom he knew as Moische SUPOSKY and found him, although the mangled transcription read McIsche for the given name.

A specialist in UK family history, he also provides private professional research. Using the new database, he also located break-throughs for two private clients in about 30 minutes in the database.

Tracing the Tribe's UK readers may see Laurence at two upcoming events, so be sure to say hello.

He'll be presenting "Tracing Ancestors and Relatives" at the UK Limmud Conference 2009, December 27-31, at the University of Warwick. Laurence wears another hat as the MyHeritage.com UK Genealogy Advisor and will also be speaking at London's Who Do You Think You Are LIVE in February 2010 in London.

Questions on UK research for Laurence? Contact him here.

UK: 'Finding family' workshop, Dec. 17

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain will focus on finding family in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, at its meeting on Thursday, December 17.

The meeting runs from 7.30-9.30pm at the JGSGB Library in London.

The session will cover information for beginners as well as those more advanced, and for confident and less-confident computer users.

To register, send an email to reserve a place. Fee: JGSGB members, free; others, £5.00.

For more information and address, click JGS of Great Britain (JGSGB).

Wales: Oldest synagogue to be converted

The oldest Welsh synagogue will be converted to apartments, according to the Jewish Chronicle.

The 1870s' Neo-Gothic synagogue in Merthyr Tydfil - the only one known to incorporate a Welsh dragon in its architectural design - has been closed since 1983. Now empty and a target for vandals, it was used as a Christian community center and gym.

A company in Warwickshire plans to convert the Grade II listed historic building into eight apartments, and will leave the exterior intact as well as maintaining the synagogue's Magen David stained glass windows.

Today, some 2,000 Jews live in Wales, about half of the total living there in the early 20th-century. Only about a dozen live in the town today, and most Welsh Jews live in Cardiff, which has an Orthodox and a Reform synagogue.

Read more at the Jewish Chronicle.

Wales: Jewish history

A North Wales (UK) university lecturer is hoping to find out more about the history of Jewish life in the region, according to this story in the North Wales (UK) Daily Post.

According to Bangor University's director of film studies Dr. Nathan Abrams, “There have been Jews living in Wales for centuries and not just in the established urban centres of south Wales.

“They have been writers, politicians and community activists. And if some have tried to preserve their Jewish identity, many have combined this with a strong commitment to Wales.”

Abrams believes the Welsh Jewish community has a valuable although neglected history and organized a series of events to promote this study, including the Gwynedd Museum's opening on March 18 of a new Jewish life exhibit and the screening of Solomon a Gaenor (1998), detailing a Welsh/Jewish couple in south Wales coalfields during the turbulent years before World War I.

Activities are sponsored by Jewish charity the Clore Duffield Foundation, by Bangor University’s Welsh Institute for Social and Cultural Affairs and the National Institute for Excellence in the Creative Industries, with support from the community and from Gwynedd Museum.

According to the story, participants will attend from all over the UK, including the grandson of Isidore Wartski, mayor of Bangor and the first Jewish mayor in Wales.

Esther Roberts of Gwynedd Museum helped to organise a six-month exhibition for the event.

According to the Gwynedd municipal site , the "Jewish Life in North Wales" exhibit opens Tuesday, March 18, celebrating the Jewish community's contribution in north Wales in the 19th-20th centuries.

The Jewish community is one such community that have settled in North Wales in recent times. The Wartskis and Pollecoffs reflect the motivations Jewish families had in choosing to live and work in the area, some of the difficulties they encountered and the positive contribution they made to their local community.

By showing some of the artefacts relating to these families and items from the Bangor Synagogue, this exhibition aims to acknowledge and celebrate their lives. This exhibition has been jointly organised by Bangor University and Gwynedd Council with research by John Cowell.

“Gwynedd Museum & Art Gallery, Bangor is proud to be a part of this exhibition which explores an important aspect of our local history,” said museum curator, Esther Roberts.