This little booklet is the report of the Jews’ Orphan Society for Educating, Clothing, Maintaining, and Apprenticing Orphan children of the Congregation. The Hebrew title of the Society means ‘Gates of Light and Father of the Orphans’.
It was one of the oldest Anglo-Jewish charities, having been founded in 1703, originally at 10 Bevis Marks, next to the Bevis Marks Synagogue in London. In about 1890 it moved to Maida Vale, and by 1909 was at 2, Ashworth Road. It was originally for fatherless boys and was extended to include motherless girls.
In 1909 there were four girls and eleven boys in the orphanage and the report includes a list if names and addresses of the subscribers who donated to support the orphanage.
The orphanage was closed in 1940 and the building was used as a centre for the intellectual and social life of the Sephardi community.
Jewish Miscellanies 