This new thread provides some initial information regarding an important historical and cultural project hat the Norwich Hebrew Congregation are developing. This project has a number of key objectives one being the provision of a library and cultural centre which provides visitors with the opportunity to learn about the importance of the Jewish community not only in Norwich but within East Anglia and the UK.
The Jewish community in Norwich dates at least from the 12th Century but does not re-emerge following the expulsion of Jews in the 13th Century until the 18th Century.
Details on this project can be seen on the Norwich Hebrew Congregation website to together with contact details.
Any family historians who had Jewish ancestors in Norwich, as I did, or in East Anglia should find this centre when it is completed of great interest and importance. If individuals have family histories or artefacts such as photographs; items of historical interest; family historiest etc I am sure the project co-ordinators would be interested
My own personal interest in the project stems from my having a 4x great uncle Barnett Crawcour -son of Samuel Crawcour 1748-1816 my 5x great grandfather-who was one of the founders of a small meeting house in Norwich for the Jewish community in the 1820s and the lease of a small burial ground in the Quaker burial ground in 1813 known as the Gildencroft.

I have posted a very brief overview on Barnett Crawcour surgeon dentist who settled in Norwich from 1808/9 and died 1834. He is buried in the Gildencroft. There are details on Cemetery Scribes website Blog of the major clearing up project undertaken on the cemetery last year.

I will post separately on Barnett Crawcour and his family.

I also posted data on an earlier thread Norwich Jews'Burial Ground-Memorials 09.05.2009 in which I listed the names of some of those buried in the Gildencroft from an early Norfolk Annal. Given the very poor state of preservation of the current remaining tombstones the importance of having this early record cannot be underestimated.

Phillip