On a recent visit to England with some of my family, we made a pilgrimage to the neighborhood of Spitalfields in London’s East End, where my grandparents had lived until much of the area was destroyed in the Blitz of 1941. 

On a previous visit with my brothers several years ago, I was depressed by the desolation, the neglect of the streets, the old homes, and the market which stood in an empty shell of Victorian glass and iron. However, an old synagogue had been excavated on Princelet Street, and an architect working on the site told us that there was a movement to “Save Spitalfields” and prevent the demolition and development of the high-rise office blocks that had risen on the bombed sites over the years.

This time, I was overjoyed to see the results of public protest and crowdfunding which have saved this historical site and restored it to a thriving community. As much for its architecture, the area has a rich social history.

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