About LSJS

An engaged, inspired and educated Jewish community, nourished by a lifelong love of teaching and learning

To transform the UK Jewish community and beyond by delivering inspiring educational programmes which transmit a lifelong love of learning and achieve excellence in teaching.

• Training and developing outstanding teachers for Jewish schools and communities through teacher training qualification programmes, degrees and ongoing development for teachers and educators​
• Delivering a range of innovative, accessible and intellectually rigorous Jewish adult education programmes​
• Creating a thriving, dynamic hub of Jewish educational excellence at the heart of the UK Jewish community, collaborating with other organisations​

• Belief in importance of Jewish education​
• Rootedness to Torah texts and values​
• Excellence: quality and rigour of teaching​
• Openness to questions​
• Equality of opportunity in Jewish learning and educational leadership for all​
• Desire to innovate
• Developing role models to transform schools and communities​
• Person-centered: giving bespoke care and attention

• Honouring teachers and educators as essential leaders of our community
• Cultivating a community of educators which includes school teachers, educational consultants, school leaders, community rabbis, outreach workers, youth rabbis, informal educators, lay leaders and more
• Enriching Jewish practice and faith through our teaching and learning
• Studying with academic rigour, respect and sincerity; a ‘safe-space’ for learning
• Valuing traditional Jewish sources as central to all our studies
• Continual programmatic innovation, together with rigorous assessment,  ensuring that we remain relevant and at the cutting edge to the needs of our community
• Maximising the participation of women as educational leaders
• Enabling educational leaders to engage with the challenges of the Jewish world and modern life, and teach Judaism in a meaningful and relevant way to the next generation
• Creating a vibrant and enriching physical campus, to act as a ‘hub’ for Torah Judaism at the centre of our community

The early years

On a cold winter’s day in November 1855, Chief Rabbi Nathan Marcus Adler opened Jews’ College in Finsbury Square, in the heart of London. As early as 1841, Sir Moses Montefiore initiated the idea of establishing a training college for religious leaders. Within a short period of time, the college produced scholars of standing who served Jewish communities in Britain and across her Empire.

Academic avenues

A quarter of a century later in 1881, the College outgrew the Finsbury Square site and moved to Tavistock Square, close to University College, where it was hoped that Jews’ College students would be able to combine their religious studies with a university degree course. In 1904, the University of London granted an Honours degree in Hebrew and Aramaic, all of the students being from Jews’ College. In 1932, the College moved to Woburn House, a purpose-built communal centre housing many organisations serving Anglo-Jewry.

The war and its aftermath

During the war years, despite the Blitz, the College kept its doors open and looked to build for the post-war future. Apart from the rabbinical studies and degree course, Chazzanut courses and teacher training programmes were now offered. In 1954, the College moved to larger premises in Montague Place.

A new site

Under the auspices of Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks, later to become Chief Rabbi, the College relocated to its current building, Schaller House in Hendon, North-West London, a large and modern campus close to the hub of London’s Jewish community. With dramatic changes in Anglo-Jewry, Jews’ College rebranded itself as London School of Jewish Studies in 1999, shifting its focus to secure a vibrant future as hub of academic study and lifelong learning, catering to a wide spectrum of the community and attracting world-class Rabbis and educators.