‘WE WANTED A RURAL LIFESTYLE’
LEAH Assimacopoulos and husband Alexis are long distance community members, living in Brentwood, a 20-30 minute drive from Epping.
She says the attraction was a “more rural” lifestyle than London, where they had lived previously. The couple had investigated the proximity of a Jewish community before making the move.
“To know that there are things like [Chabad Epping] close to us does make a big difference,” the 30-yearold explains.
Having grown up in an Orthodox community in South Africa, she says of Epping’s Rabbi Yossi and Rivka Posen that “it’s nice to have some frum young people around”. And with her husband being Greek Orthodox on his father’s side, she appreciates their accepting and non-judgmental attitude.
“They don’t want to change you. They just want to help you or be your friend.”
When she attends Mrs Posen’s ladies’ Hebrew reading classes, her husband chats to the rabbi.They have been sufficiently impressed to consider a home closer to Epping if they were to relocate.
Laraine Warren — who organises the kosher catering for the Buckhurst Hill Chabad — attributes this to property being “more affordable than North London. You get more for your buck.
“The greenery and the surroundings are very pleasant. You can literally drive 60 seconds down the road and feel like you’re in the country.”
Mother-of-two Katie Rose, 43, a Chigwell Synagogue member, says that “about half of my friends moved to North-West London over the years. But if we’re going out in the summer — picnicking or whatever — they come to us, always.”
Jonathan Bloom, 33, grew up in Clayhall, Redbridge, before moving out to Loughton with his wife and joining the local Federation synagogue. “We bought a place in Loughton because it was a new build development and quite reasonably priced, so it gave us the opportunity to get on the housing ladder,” he recalls.
“It’s a nice place to bring up kids. It’s in the heart of Epping Forest, there’s a lot of green space, there’s a nice, vibrant high street and it’s very well connected to the city and the West End.”
Jaimie Sinclair, 40, another Clayhall native, moved with his family to Chigwell in 2013, where he runs a local recruitment firm.“A lot of people put their financial position before their religion,” he says. “People will move where they can afford a house.”
As well as a pull towards Essex, there is talk of a push away from Redbridge. Rabbi Brandman says that as East London becomes more diverse, Jews may want to “move on” (though the area’s diversity is praised by others). The CST’s figures show that reported antisemitic incidents in Redbridge have risen over the past few years.
While some — like Ms Warren and her husband Greg, who are in their 70s — lament the closure of kosher butchers and delis in Redbridge, Ms Rose views this as evidence of changing shopping habits.
“I can still buy a great deal of my kosher meat from the supermarket, so some of that decline in butchers is not to do with decline in the Jewish community. It’s to do with the way we live our lives.”
Rabbi Brandman acknowledges that many of those moving in are “less religious and less committed”, reporting that most of those who attend his Chabad are not affiliated to a shul.
“From Golders Green to Hendon it’s a five minute drive. From Hendon to Edgware it’s another five minute drive. It’s all very close together. Whereas the