37, St Mary’s Street, Ely

History of 37 St Mary's Street, Ely

At the outbreak of WWII the Jewish Free School [JFS] was evacuated to various locations in England including Ely and Soham. Many of the students had recently arrived as refugees. Initially the children were billeted with private families but some of them were very unhappy and felt isolated. As a result the JFS headteacher Dr Enoch Bernstein asked the wife of the vicar of St Mary’s Church, Mrs Hinton Knowles, to set up a hostel in a large unused house at 37 St Mary’s Street in Ely. It accommodated 70 children. By all accounts Mrs Hinton Knowles was seen by the children as a surrogate mother to them. After a time, the hostel was run by Rabbi and Mrs A Kon.

A detailed account of the story of this school can be found in Michael Rouse’s book: Bernstein’s Boys. The Story of the Evacuation in 1939 of the Jews’ Free School to Ely pub. 2021.

A synagogue was organised in Ely for these children, alongside educational and social activities. In February 1941, following the destruction of the Jews’ Free School in Brick Lane during the London Blitz, the school formally transferred to Hereward Hall, at the King’s School, Ely. There was a synagogue and educational and social activities.

For more information about the Jewish community in Ely see:

https://www.jewishgen.org/jcr-uk/Community/ely/index.htm

1939

Enoch Bernstein, b 1886, headmaster Jews school

Rubin S Eichenstein, b 1912, rabbi

Solomon Spira, b 1899, paid domestic duties

Lotte Spira, b 1898, paid domestic duties

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Jospeh ??, b 1922, alien seeking work

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Jacob Kunstadt, b 1929

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Alan Golding, b 1927

There are  a large number of closed records as of 2024 on the 1939 Register at this address. This may well be because there were a large number of children living here who were deemed to be possibly still alive in 2024.