About us
We are the Jewish Square Mile Foundation, a charity formed to reveal the history of the City of London’s medieval Jewish cemetery, and to recognise and celebrate that community and its contribution to the City and the country.
We are a local, community project, formed by residents of and people who work in the City. We trace our origins to the informal group brought together by Rev’d Canon Jack Noble, Rector of St Giles-without-Cripplegate the church within the Barbican Estate.
Our interfaith origin remains important to us and the project involves people of all faiths and none, who live and work in and around the Barbican area.
In addition to the support of Fr Jack, Mark Gettleson, the Head of Campaigns and Community Engagement at the City of London, has been a constant friend and support. It was the Culture Mile BID’s community fund whose initial grant gave us the impetus to launch the project, called The Jewish Square Mile. We are also honoured by the participation of the City of London School for Girls. We shall be announcing more supporters and sponsors in due course.
OUR trustees
The Jewish Square Mile Foundation was registered with the Charity Commission in January 2025; its three trustees are Howard Morris (Chair), Gaby Morris and JM Petroschka.
OUR ACADEMIC LEADS
Dr Rory MacLellan is a Cataloguer and Manuscript Researcher at the British Library. He holds a PhD in Medieval History from the University of St Andrews for a thesis on the Knights Hospitaller in late medieval Britain. From 2020 to 2022 he undertook a postdoctoral research project at Historic Royal Palaces on the Jewish history of the Tower of London, creating a catalogue of archival sources for the medieval Anglo-Jewry and the Tower and writing biographies of every medieval Jew known to have worked, been a prisoner, or sought sanctuary, at the Tower from the twelfth century down to 1290. As well as his work on the Hospitallers and the Crusades, he has published on the Tower's links with the Anglo-Jewry and ties between Jewish converts and the Knights Hospitaller.
Dr Dean A. Irwin is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Lincoln. He is currently working on several volumes relating to medieval Anglo-Jewry: an edited collection of the Medieval Lincoln Jewry (Arc Humanities Press), volume 3 of Hebrew and Hebrew-Latin Documents from Medieval England (with Judith Olszowy-Schlanger), and a monograph on Jews and Christians as Neighbours in Medieval England (Palgrave Macmillan). He convenes the Medieval Anglo-Jewish History and Records seminar at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, is a board member of the MedievalJewishStudiesNow! blog and Advisory Board member of the Jewish Historical Society of England.
credits
This project is grateful to the community of volunteers who have contributed so generously of their time and hard work. We’d like to make a special mention of the following with our gratitude:
Feona Hamilton, for her invaluable work
Father Jack Noble, Rector of St Giles Cripplegate, for convening the group and posing the questions that led to this project and his continued support and guidance
Reverend Lucy Newman Cleeve of St Giles Cripplegate
Mark Gettleson, Head of Campaigns and Community Engagement, City of London
Sarah Baker, Culture Mile BID
Caroline Hanson, Culture Mile BID
Dhino Panchalingam, Culture Mile BID
City of London School for Girls
Dr Rory MacLellan
Dr Dean Irwin
Sam Jacobs, Official Guide of The Jewish Square Mile project
Suzanne Cohen, Official Guide of The Jewish Square Mile project
Rob Mindel, JSQ Head of Fundraising
Aron Joy, Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Kate Bystryk, Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Sol Kaufman, Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Prof. Anna Sapir Abulafia, FBA, Professor emerita of the Study of the Abrahamic Religions, University of Oxford
Elisabeth King, Alderwoman for Cripplegate
Michelle Rosenberg, Writer and Women’s Historian
Miriam Marson, Head of Heritage, United Synagogue
Meg Hepher, JSQ Researcher
Amanda Dean, JSQ Music Advisor
Brian Solomans, JSQ Music Advisor
Graham Kern, JSQ Creative Advisor
Marcus Roberts, JTrails
Rabbi Hershel Gluck OBE
Rabbi Amrom Marmorstein
Amanda Falkson
Ariella Yedgar
Melissa Collett
Dr Tamara Tolley
Our media partners, Jewish News
Outside the City Wall, view of Bastion 12 and moat next to the location of the medieval Jewish cemetery.