Long-lost voices of Cheetham Hill’s Jewish community unveiled in new MIF film
Manchester Jewish Museum may no longer be a functioning shul but it still has plenty of stories hidden within its walls. Turner prize-winning artist Laura Prouvost explores them for MIF.
Manchester Jewish Museum has finally reopened its doors to the public, following two years of forced closure and a huge £6m refurbishment to the original Grade II-listed Portuguese and Spanish synagogue building.
As part of its grand reopening, the newly-renovated museum has partnered with the Manchester International Festival (MIF) to commission a new film and art installation to tell the long-lost stories of Cheetham Hill’s Jewish community.
The Ark at Manchester Jewish Museum still holds a set of Torah scrolls on loan from the original community, which shifted to a new building in Salford in the early 1980s.
Teams also uncovered a hidden time capsule containing newspapers, old coins and synagogue minutes dating back to the 1870s during the renovation process.
Suffice to say, it certainly still has plenty of stories hidden within its walls – many of which are now being revealed as part of a new MIF film currently on display from Turner-prize winner Laura Provost.
Called The long waited, weighted, gathering, the installation aims to explore the long-lost voices of Manchester’s Jewish community: transforming The Ladies’ Gallery in the historic synagogue into an immersive installation space.
Laura Provost’s work is on display until 19 July for MIF / Image: A secret time capsule uncovered during the renovation process / Image: Manchester Jewish Museum
Shot inside the gallery and the surrounding Cheetham Hill area, the installation features as a major part of the reopening of the newly redeveloped Manchester Jewish Museum.
Award-winning artist Prouvost has explored the museum’s extensive collection to discover the stories behind past congregants of the synagogue: unearthing the stories of the Manchester women who once found comfort and community within its walls.
Her films are often accompanied by objects to evoke its themes and imagery, and The long waited, weighted, gathering is no exception.
She has also been working alongside the Museum’s resident Women’s Textiles Group, and their materials are being incorporated within the installation to give a voice to modern women in the local community as well as those from days past.
The museum houses over 31,000 items in its collection, many of which are now going on display for the first time; sharing stories of Jewish Manchester by exploring universal themes of migration, communities, and identities.
Located in Cheetham Hill, it’s the only Jewish museum of its kind in the UK outside of London.
Following the recent upgrades to the building, funded by a two-year £6 million Capital Development project and a £2.89m National Heritage Lottery grant, it now boasts an architecturally impressive extension and new veggie kosher-style café and kitchen – where schools and community groups can develop a greater understanding of the Jewish way of life.
Its 1874 Spanish and Portuguese synagogue has also been fully restored, whilst further new additions include a shop and learning studio for community events.
From personal letters and photographs to more eclectic items like a herring chopper and an English-Hebrew teapot, there is a huge range of objects on display.
Featured image –Manchester Jewish Museum / Ruth Allan
News
Smoke billows across Manchester city centre as historic mill goes up in flames
Daisy Jackson
Smoke is billowing across the Manchester skyline this evening after a huge fire has struck the historic Hotspur Press building.
The former mill just off Whitworth Street West has gone up in flames, with smoke seen for miles.
People have been sharing pictures and videos of the blaze from all over the city centre.
The Hotspur Press stands just below the train lines between Manchester Oxford Road and Deansgate train station, meaning that the fire has caused significant travel disruption.
BREAKING 🚨 Huge fire in Manchester city centre right now – historic Hotspur Press is ablaze with major disruption to trains out of Oxford Road #manchester#mcrpic.twitter.com/SnA52oiqxm
Trains out of Manchester Oxford Road are currently all showing as delayed.
The building was set to be redeveloped into a student accommodation tower block, with a recent planning application requesting to change the original consented brick cladding to an aluminium façade. A large emergency services response is on the scene.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) told The Manc: “Firefighters are currently tackling a large fire at the derelict Hotspur Press building on Cambridge Street in Manchester.“An evacuation of the neighbouring apartment buildings is taking place.
“The public are advised to stay away from the area while crews continue to tackle the fire.”
A further update from the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service at around 7pm said: “Crews are working hard to tackle the fire at the Hotspur Press building. 20 fire engines from stations across Greater Manchester are at the scene, where three floors of the building are alight. Multiple jets and the air unit are in use to prevent the spread of the fire.
“All floors of the two apartment blocks at 1 Cambridge Street have been evacuated.”
National Rail has said: “There is a fire next to the track at Manchester Oxford Road, closing all lines at this station. As a result, trains may be cancelled, delayed by up to 25 minutes or revised. This issue is expected to continue to impact services until 20:00.”
However, you can expect a significant knock-on impact for the foreseeable.
Plumes can be seen for miles, with residents in Salford, Hyde, Bolton, and further afield reporting sightings, including some even in Cheshire – fair to say it’s one of, if not the largest, fire in Manchester city centre for some time.
Witnesses have said that crowds are now being cleared from the area due to a risk of asbestos.
A witness at the scene told The Manc that a police officer wearing a mask was urging bystanders to exit the vicinity immediately, stating that “smoke is asbestos-contaminated because of the roof.”
If nearby, please keep away and urge others to stay safe.
Nearby apartments and buildings are being evacuated, and trains have been hit with heavy disruption due to Oxford Road station being in such close proximity.#GreaterManchesterpic.twitter.com/0mkxEJAj98
Government launches ‘urgent’ review into NHS maternity and neonatal care services
Emily Sergeant
A rapid national investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services has been ordered by the Government.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting says this Government inherited a situation from the previous government where issues in maternity and neonatal care had been ‘ongoing for some time’, and now he wants to ‘provide truth and accountability’ to address systemic problems that date back more than 15 years.
Although a series of independent reviews into local trusts in the past had found some similar ‘failings’, including the failure to listen to women, concerns over safety, and issues with leadership and culture, this new national investigation will be going further than ever before.
The investigation will urgently look at the worst-performing maternity and neonatal services in the country, and bring together the findings of past reviews into one clear national set of actions.
The aim is to ensure every woman and baby receives high-quality and compassionate care, with the investigation consisting of two parts.
📢 National maternity and neonatal investigation to be launched
Too many families have suffered preventable harm.
The investigation will urgently look at services with specific issues and the entire maternity system, making sure each family receives safe and compassionate care. pic.twitter.com/J8XkwGM9dN
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) June 23, 2025
The first part will urgently investigate up to 10 of the ‘most concerning’ maternity and neonatal units across the country to give affected families the answers they deserve as quickly as possible.
The second will then undertake a system-wide look at maternity and neonatal care to bring together lessons from past inquiries to create one clear national set of actions to improve care across every NHS maternity service.
Alongside the launch of the national investigation today, the Government has also announced that it will be establishing a ‘National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce’ that’s set to be chaired by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and made up of a panel of esteemed experts and bereaved families.
The taskforce will mainly address several issues facing maternity care in England.
One area of focus will be addressing the devastating inequalities that women from Black, Asian and deprived backgrounds face, while another area will be a look at a lack of compassionate care and concerns over safety.
The Government has launched an ‘urgent’ review into NHS maternity and neonatal care services / Credit: Jimmy Conover (via Unsplash)
“I know nobody wants better for women and babies than the thousands of NHS midwives, obstetricians, maternity and neonatal staff,” commented Health Secretary Wes Streeting, as the urgent review was launched today. “And that the vast majority of births are safe and without incident, but it’s clear something is going wrong.
“That’s why I’ve ordered a rapid national investigation to make sure families get the truth and the accountability they deserve, and ensure no parent or baby is ever let down again.
“I want staff to come with us on this, to improve things for everyone.
“We‘re also taking immediate steps to hold failing services to account and give staff the tools they need to deliver the kind, safe, respectful care every family deserves.
“Maternity care should be the litmus test by which this Government is judged on patient safety, and I will do everything in my power to ensure no family has to suffer like this again.”
Georgina Pellant -
7th July 2021 
