Torah on Tyne: how Orthodox Jews carved out their very own Oxbridge

The finest religious education, affordable housing and a dynamic rabbi have given Gateshead a shot in the arm
On a residential street in Gateshead, an unexpected sound drifts from open windows. It is the murmurings of hundreds of young men as they read aloud from the Torah or explore the meaning of the religious texts.
Not so long ago, the soundtrack of this city on the river Tyne was the noise of heavy industry: shipbuilding, engineering, coalmining. It was all gone by the 1980s and 90s and, like so many other places, Gateshead struggled with unemployment, deprivation and loss of identity. Now it is home to the fastest-growing strictly Orthodox Jewish community in the UK, fuelled by the reputation of its educational establishments and cheap housing. More...