Cliftonville West Jewish History Walking Tour – Evening Edition
Start time: 6:00 PM | Meeting point: Cliftonville (TBC – full details will be emailed)| Duration: Approx. 2.5 hours – we’ll finish before the sun sets, don’t worry!
Now, you’re in for a treat, my darlings! Join us for an early evening strolling schmooze through the hidden Jewish history of Cliftonville West, right here in Margate-by-the-Sea. This ain’t just any old walk – it’s a journey through time, tradition, tragedy, and triumph, with a little sea breeze and maybe a touch of golden hour magic.
We’ll kick things off in Cliftonville (don’t be late – we run on Jewish Standard Time, which means only slightly behind schedule). From there, we’ll unravel the earliest threads of Jewish life in Margate – pedlars with tzitzit, no less, who came with the Royal Navy and left behind more than just salty tales.
As we wander the elegant streets and faded boarding houses in the evening light, we’ll celebrate the Jewish doctor who turned Margate into a health mecca – prescribing sea air and a shmear of sunshine before it was trendy. We’ll nosh on stories of brave balabustas – fierce landladies who ran the boarding houses like generals, many escaping no-goodnik husbands and forging new lives with a broom in one hand and a kugel in the oven.
You’ll hear how this tenacious community battled to keep kosher on the coast – schlepping meat, matzos and minyanim from London, building synagogues and schools brick by brick, prayer by prayer. We’ll meet Kindertransport kinder who found safety here, and refugees who arrived with heartache but stayed with resilience, recipes, and a hunger to belong.
And of course – you’ll never guess how kosher margarine helped build Palm Bay. Yes, margarine! Only in Margate, I tell you.
So, put on your comfy shoes, bring a bottle of water, maybe a cardigan (you know how the sea breeze can be), and a little curiosity. We’ll walk, we’ll laugh, we might even tear up, but above all, we’ll remember. This is a story of survival, of making do and making better, of bringing Yiddishkeit to the seaside.
Please note: Due to ongoing building works this summer, the tour will not include entry to Ark (the former Margate Synagogue). Ticket prices have been adjusted accordingly.
