Orthodox Jews find their promised land on Canvey Island

 Orthodox Jews find their promised land on Canvey Island

Nicola Woolcock

August 8 2016, 12:01am, The Times

Canvey Island, where house prices are much lower and “you can hear the birds sing”Alamy

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Canvey Island on the Thames estuary has a couple of football clubs, a static caravan park, an average house price of £230,000 and a population of about 38,000. It is a far cry from Stamford Hill, north London, which teems with synagogues, bakeries and £1 million houses, where almost the same number of people live in the strictly orthodox Jewish community.

Despite being worlds apart, overcrowding, soaring house prices and a fast-growing population of large families means that the Haredi Jews, the biggest such population in Europe, have sought a new outpost, and now they have settled on the Essex island.

Ten years ago the community discussed moving en masse to Milton Keynes but the plans never materialised. Pioneers have instead headed 40 miles away to Canvey Island, near Southend, with seven families in the vanguard.

Several Jewish families are moving out of Stamford Hill in north London due to overcrowdingOli Scarff/Getty Images

It is not one of Britain’s most cosmopolitan areas. The island is within one of the ten most pro-Brexit wards and was one of Ukip’s target seats in last year’s general election. Fewer than five per cent of its population was born abroad and it is 98 per cent white.

Joel and Mindy Friedman are among those who have moved an hour’s drive from Stamford Hill to Canvey with their six children.

They paid £380,000 for a modern, five-bedroom house with double garage and conservatory. “You can hear the birds sing,” Mr Friedman said. “We’re more connected to nature here. And the neighbours are lovely.”

The Haredis are optimistic about the move and hope that 50 families will be living there within a year. Having seven or eight children is not uncommon and many families are even larger.

The men dress in long black coats and fedoras or fur hats, with long sidelocks and beards. The women dress modestly and wear wigs. All seven families have bought properties within a 20-minute walk of each other and moved in over the same weekend. A family of philanthropists has reportedly bought a former school in the area at which a private Jewish school and other community facilities will be established. Before moving, Mr Friedman lived and worked in Stamford Hill, surrounded by houses selling for up to £1.5 million.

About 15 per cent of the Haredi community lives in neighbouring Haringey, where a three-bedroom house can cost £900,000. “It’s absolutely bonkers. People haven’t been buying for a number of years. The amount you’d have to borrow, you’d be in debt for all your life — and for a house too small for your family,” Mr Friedman told The Jewish Chronicle. “I have a brother here with 12 children. He managed to buy a house and build a loft but he wouldn’t have been able to build it today because the area has become a conservation area. You can’t put in double-glazing without planning permission.”

The planned community is being managed by a committee of Haredi activists. Instead of interested families buying properties themselves, they refer inquiries to the committee, which scouts for suitable houses.

“If you start having hundreds of calls to local estate agents, then prices start going up and up,” Mr Friedman said.

A second Haredi group hopes to launch an outpost in Westcliff-on-Sea, which is about 20 minutes’ drive from Canvey and already has an Orthodox synagogue near by.

One long-time Canvey resident said that some locals were worried the Haredis could take over but others said it was better than empty homes.

Ann Horgan, head of civic governance at Castle Point council, said: “The council is working with representatives of the Jewish community and Canvey Island and other agencies to make sure this new community is welcomed. We hope this will be to all our mutual benefit and have a positive impact on the local economy.”

Forgotten island

● Canvey Island has been inhabited at least since Roman times but does not attract much attention, with its proximity to Southend-on-Sea.

● Cut off from the mainland by a network of creeks, it is nevertheless easily accessible. At low tide drivers would be forgiven for not realising they were driving on to an island.

● A hundred years ago it was flourishing and between 1911 and 1951 was the fastest growing seaside resort in Britain, but a flood devastated the island in 1953, killing 58 residents and leading to the temporary removal of 13,000 others. It now has two miles of concrete sea walls, protecting the low-lying land. A series of pumps are built into the drainage system, which were tested to the limit in July 2014 when extreme rainfall caused widespread flooding.

● Attractions include the Castle Point Transport Museum, which boasts rare buses, coaches, military and emergency vehicles. Three in ten of the population are aged over 60, compared with 23.4 per cent of the population of England.