Historic London Synagogue Faces Auction as Muslim Group Calls for Mosque Conversion

A century-old synagogue that once stood at the heart of London’s Jewish East End is heading to public auction later this month, with controversy sparked by a social-media video calling for the building to be converted into an Islamic center.

The East London Central Synagogue, located at 40 Nelson Street in Whitechapel, is scheduled to be auctioned on February 12, with a guide price of more than £2 million (about $2.5 million). The property, founded in 1923, has been closed since 2020 after years of decline and significant structural damage. 

The video shows a Muslim man standing outside the synagogue and calling for urgent donations, framing the potential purchase as a symbolic moment reflecting demographic change in Whitechapel, once the heart of Britain’s Jewish immigrant community. 

While the footage has spread rapidly, no organization, mosque, or registered charity has publicly claimed responsibility for the fundraising appeal. No donation page, charity registration, or formal campaign infrastructure linked to the synagogue has been identified yet. 

The synagogue is owned by the Federation of Synagogues, which put the property up for sale after years of disuse.The building suffered extensive deterioration, including a collapsed ceiling caused by a leaking roof, making continued maintenance unviable for a congregation that had long since dispersed.

For decades, the Nelson Street synagogue served thousands of Jewish immigrants who settled in the East End in the early 20th century. As London’s Jewish population gradually relocated to northwest neighborhoods in the latter half of the century, Jewish congregations in Tower Hamlets, the borough that includes Whitechapel, steadily dwindled. By the time the synagogue closed, it was one of the last remaining synagogues in the area.

Whitechapel itself has undergone profound demographic change. The borough is now predominantly Muslim, and the repurposing of religious buildings is not unusual in East London’s history. Churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship have previously changed hands as communities shifted. Still, heritage advocates argue that the Nelson Street synagogue occupies a uniquely sensitive place in Jewish history.

Critics of the proposed conversion say the appeal reflects not just redevelopment but the final erasure of Jewish presence in a district that once defined Anglo-Jewish life. They argue the building should be preserved as a Jewish heritage site or cultural landmark, rather than repurposed for another faith.