Some of My Best Friends
- Westminster
- 1969
Raw images of London E1 and the disappearing Jewish East End
Hessel Street, E1 is today a quiet tower block-studded side street, rich with Indian subcontinent roots; there's little trace of Whitechapel's former terraces and large Jewish community. Over 50 years ago, as developers moved in, Jewish Hungarian émigré Robert Vas arrived with modest funding and a 16mm camera. His Jewish Chronicle- and BFI-supported project saw light of day as the magnificent The Vanishing Street (1962). What you see here is some of Vas's raw footage.
This collection uncovers insights, injustices and hidden histories across a century of Jewish life on British screens. It brings together documentary and first-person accounts of Jewish life in the UK, alongside historical dramas and artists’ work exploring the 20th century Jewish experience. The earliest surviving depictions of Jewish characters in British cinema offer a troubling insight into antisemitic representation, yet prejudice was later tackled head-on, with newsreels documenting the anti-fascist movement of the 1930s.
Drop in on joyous family weddings and community gatherings, and see the ways in which UK Jewry supported Jews young and old, and those fleeing persecution, in a selection of fascinating films from the 1900s to the 1980s.
This collection is generously supported by the Neil Kreitman Foundation, Shoresh Charitable Trust, John S Cohen Foundation, and Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation.