Dr Peter Prinsley, a former Norwich city councillor and past president of the Norwich Synagogue, now Labour MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, said plans to set up the new site of Jewish learning and culture had "never been more essential".

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He said antisemitism was "a real and present danger" and such a centre underscored the national need to deepen understanding of Jewish history.

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The UEA hopes its Centre for Jewish History will ultimately hold programmes at the restored Jurnet’s House.

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The 12th century building, next to Wensum Lodge, was named after a prominent Jewish family of the early 13th century.

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Also known as the Music House, it is the oldest surviving Jewish dwelling in England and a reminder of Norwich’s medieval Jewish past.

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Dr Oren Margolis, from UEA’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities, who has been leading the campaign for the new centre, said the recognition in Parliament marks a significant moment for the project.

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“Our campaign has now been recognised in the House of Commons, which is both deeply encouraging and a testament to the importance of this work,” he said.

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“While historic antisemitism is only one part of our research case, the issues raised in the debate resonate strongly with the need for a centre dedicated to Jewish history, heritage and understanding.

 

"This endorsement is valuable for the University and for our community and civic partners in Norwich.”

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Why Norwich?

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Norwich holds a unique and significant place in Jewish history. In the medieval period, it was home to one of England’s most important Jewish communities, a centre of poetry and scholarship that contributed to the city’s economic life.

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It was also the site of one of the darkest chapters in the history of anti-Jewish hatred with the first recorded instance of the “blood libel” in 1144.

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That was a false allegation against Jews, blaming them for the death of a boy called William.

A medieval monk called Thomas of Monmouth claimed - with no evidence - that Jews had slaughtered the boy, whose body was reportedly found at Thorpe Woods, in a ritualistic killing.

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It sparked centuries of antisemitic violence and continues to echo in modern conspiracy theories.

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In 2023, Norwich's then Lord Mayor Kevin Maguire apologised to the city's Jewish community for the religious persecution they had suffered as a result.

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And last year, due to concerns raised by the Jewish community during the making of a documentary about the blood libel, church officials removed Norwich Cathedral literature which referred to it.

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The city’s importance to the wider Jewish story was further underscored in 2004, during excavations for the Chapelfield Shopping Centre.

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Seventeen skeletons - six adults and 11 children - were discovered in a well shaft and later linked through DNA to modern Ashkenazi Jewish populations.

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They were believed to have been victims of religious persecution in the 12th century.

Researchers said the findings were consistent with the bodies being the victims of an historically recorded antisemitic massacre by local crusaders and their supporters in Norwich in 1190.