England holds an important place in Jewish history – and also in the history of antisemitism. Sadly, this form of racist hate has again become central to political discourse in this country and worldwide. In these important histories, Norwich has a particular significance, and there is no better place to illuminate them than Jurnet’s House.  

 

Located on King Street in Norwich, it was the residence of Isaac Jurnet, a significant patron of Jewish learning and the financier responsible for the construction of Norwich Cathedral. As one of the best preserved and the oldest Jewish houses in England, it is a touchstone to the history of English Jewry and the diaspora experience in the heart of a city where in 1144 the notorious blood libel had its origin.

 

The story of Norwich Jews is the story of Norwich. Jews came to England following the Norman Conquest and remained until 1290, when they were expelled by an edict of Edward I. This was the first expulsion of Jews from a European country. One of the exiles was Meir ben Eliyahu, or Meir of Norwich, medieval England’s greatest Hebrew poet. Before that, Norwich was home to one of the country’s most important Jewish communities. Yet in 1144, it had been accused of the ritual murder of a small boy called William. Though there is no evidence that this killing took place, the cult of ‘Saint William’ and the antisemitic ‘blood libel’ took off, spawning copycats across Europe for centuries, inciting antisemitic violence everywhere. Sad evidence of an 1190 massacre of Norwich Jews was uncovered with the bodies found buried in a well at Chapelfield. DNA matches confirm the legacy of Norwich’s medieval population in contemporary Ashkenazi (central/eastern European) Jewry, many representatives of which are in Norwich today. These are all parts of the many significant and contrasting stories that need to be told today in the so-called ‘City of Stories’.

 

Our vision sees a restored Jurnet's House as the place to tell these stories. Under the remarkable stone-vaulted ceiling of its twelfth-century undercroft, visitors will be transported to the time of Isaac Jurnet and encounter the lives and experiences of a medieval Jewish community in this relic of that built environment. Meanwhile, advanced interactive multimedia technology will enable audiences to engage with this place of memory through time, including the building's life in later centuries as residence of the Paston and Coke families, home to the civic music troupe in the days of Elizabeth I, heart of the modern brewing industry, and latterly a place of hospitality and education for international and local people alike.

 

Education and learning have been part of Jurnet's House since the days of Isaac HaNadiv ('The Benefactor') himself. They can be so again today. By becoming a national home for promoting an understanding of Jewish heritage and of the histories and legacies of antisemitism, xenophobia and racism, Jurnet's House will bring the past to bear on the present, raising awareness and knowledge of the realities of diversity and prejudice. As a building that embodies the lasting relevance of faith, international connectivity, and empire, Jurnet’s House can be not only a touchstone to the Jewish story but a point of reference for the city and its diverse communities.

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Ideally situated in close proximity to Norwich Station (1h 40min to London, 1h 15min to Cambridge) as well as to Norwich Castle and other historic sites, and sustained by a mixed business model including valuable residential housing, Jurnet's House is well placed to become an important national and international educational and tourist destination. Together with the adjacent Wensum Lodge redevelopment, it will add decisively to the regeneration of East Norwich and its new Cultural Quarter.

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Taking inspiration from diverse European models and through collaboration with its partner UEA, with the Norwich University of the Arts, and with the local community, Jurnet’s House aims also to work with the young talent of Norwich and East Anglia in developing both the concepts and the technology for realising our innovative and important heritage experience.

 

Led by a dedicated and highly skilled Board of Trustees and advisors, Jurnet's House is a Registered Charity No 1207900. It is working to advance the project in close collaboration with Norwich City Council and in association with the University of East Anglia.

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Marian and Peter Prinsley, Monica Petzal and Oren Margolis are leading on this important project. They can be reached by email at jurnetshouse@gmail.com