The varied activities of the children in the Jews' free school

This illustrated article appeared in The Sphere magazine on February 1st 1908. Entitled 'The Largest of Our Elementary Schools Where Russian Jews are made into Good British Subjects', it describes the work of the Jews' Free School in Bell Lane, Spitalfields, the heart of the Jewish East End. By 1908 the school offered free education to 2,200 Jewish boys and 1,200 girls and was the largest school in Europe. Like many Jewish youth organisations in the East End it favoured Anglicisation and integration. Yiddish culture was discouraged to iron out the 'ghetto bend' in immigrant lads.