Leytonstone & Wanstead Synagogue

Usually only 3 or 4 locals attend services, perhaps partly because of the couple who run the shul. They tend to pressurise people to do more & more for the shul & try to make them feel like they haven't done enough to help out, even when those people are already doing a lot. They also make all the decisions, big & small, with little regard for whether anyone else who attends the shul is happy with those decisions & with equally little regard for the shul's 87-year old traditions. It's a shame; some fine people who used to attend for many years no longer enjoy attending. I gave a tremendous amount of time, energy & devotion to the shul for 2.5 years, yet when I decided to move on & thanked them & wished them well, they didn't even say thank you or wish me well. In fact they called me to complain that I hadn't done more - accusing me of "just showing up" to shul every week while others did all the work. And they abruptly stopped being friendly, even though they had always claimed for 2.5 years that we were friends. Finally, be careful before contacting the shul, if you care about privacy. They forwarded to several people two very private letters of mine that I addressed specifically to the two of them. And they had also grabbed a photo of mine from my private Facebook account & put it on the shul website without my consent & then didn't take down the photo until the second time I asked them to do so, several weeks later. You may want to try your luck at another East London area shul such as Woodford Forest, Gants Hill, Chingford, Buckhurst Hill, Ilford, Loughton, Bevis Marks, etc.

Very welcoming shul with a hugely eclectic congregation.

Nice beit knesset with friendly peoples .

An absolutely lovely local Jewish community. It has a real homely and welcoming feeling whether you're a regular congregant or not.

A lovely, friendly, welcoming community that has made me feel part of them very quickly.