In the begining

Before  moving  to Lincoln in 1983 I'd mentioned to friends that  it would be wonderful if Jew's Court could once again be a synagogue.

This  was  a faint hope  .just a dream really. But after my father died a few years later  I  wanted to reconnect with my Jewishness so I joined the Nottingham Liberal  synagogue and attended services and events there with my family. but it was a long schlep. 

The chairman of Nottingham Synagogue told me that I should  found a Synagogue in Lincoln;  I replied it was   a nice idea  but there were hardly any Jews in Lincoln. Ray  dismissed my objection as mere  detail and after attending  meetings in Nottingham found myself being interviewed by local radio,  television and newspapers about  re-establishing  a Jewish Community in Lincoln after a gap of over 700 years  (Jews, having been expelled from England en masse in 1290 of course)

A service was duly  advertised to be held at the Quaker  Meeting house on Park Street in late 1992 .I anticipated myself and my  four Jewish friends turning up  - but  to my amazement about 50 people attended. -  including admittedly  a few from Nottingham with their Rabbi.

Following  that service we agreed to affiliate to Liberal Judaism and to hold  services at Jews' Court.

When I walk to Jews' Court today I feel  the echoes  of our ancestors who would have  walked  there  over three  centuries ago.

The historian Simon Schama's  internationally acclaimed TV series  " The Story of the Jews" filmed  only one synagogue service in the whole world......us  at Jews' Court .

He commented that we sang  the songs and read the prayers in the same place as our  ancestors  over 700 years ago .

To have been involved with the Lincolnshire Jewish Community for the past 30 plus years has been a huge privilege. 

We've met  rabbis,  members of the community,  and visitors and  i hope we have contributed  to the life of the City of Lincoln.

Richard Dale, President