Bevis Marks Synagogue

I am so, so grateful for my experience at Bevis Marks. Let me explain.
I’m in London for just a few weeks on a business trip, and I decided to pop into Bevis Marks last Friday night for Kabbalat Shabbat because it’s just down the street from where I’m working.
Before the service, I was a little intimidated because 1) I’m not Orthodox, and 2) I had never been to Sephardic services before. I got there early, so I was sitting outside reading a book when suddenly I heard a man say, «Are you waiting for me?»
It turned out to be the Rabbi, an incredibly warm, hospitable, and friendly man who immediately made me feel welcome and at ease. We went inside and I went up to the second level, where an extremely kind woman immediately recognized me as a visitor and invited me to sit with her. The service itself was a bit different than what I’m used to, of course, but there were enough similarities that I felt at home.
Afterward, everyone went to another room in the shul for a very delicious (and kosher, of course) dinner and lots of friendly conversation. I was having such a fantastic evening, in fact, that I completely lost track of time and ending up staying until 11:00 pm!
It’s hard for me to distill a night like that into a Unilocal review, but it was a genuinely wonderful experience that I will remember for many years to come. There is something uniquely special about being a stranger in a place who is immediately welcomed with that kind of warmth and generosity. I don’t know how to describe it.
Bevis Marks is a special place with a very special community. I am extraordinarily grateful for the memory it gave to me.

Being a Jew growing up close to London, Bevis Marks was pretty much a must see on any Sunday school trip to London. We’d wander around the streets of east London spotting the remains of our culture which has now been muddled over the years.
I’ve been here a few time, I’ve even been to a wedding here — I’m a well connected London Jew you know! Well, okay, they knew my Mum, but seriously this is a place to see some of London’s history. It’s one of the oldest Synagogues in England being over 300 years old and it’s hardly changed a bit. It’s still functioning and they even have a little restaurant serving up home cooked kosher foods attached.