From Shtetl to Steel City – Judy Simons

15 October, 2025 at 12:30 pm

In 2022, Sheffield City Archives acquired records from the Sheffield Jewish Community, covering almost two centuries of Jewish life from 1780-1980. From Shtetl to Steel City explores the hidden history that lies buried in these records. It brings to life the world of impoverished immigrants, who fled from oppression to embrace an alien environment. Striving, aspirational and feisty, they punched above their weight to help shape the story of Sheffield itself. This event recreates their lost world, a vital part of the city’s heritage.

Judy Simons is a Sheffield born and bred writer, Professor Emerita at De Montfort University, Leicester and former editor of Sheffield Jewish Journal.

Find out more about Sheffield’s Jewish Heritage at jewishheritagesheffield.co.uk