Sounds Jewish Podcasts

Our Podcast, Sounds Jewish, is produced in association with The Guardian and covers a wide range of topics from Jewish music and entertainment to Jewish culture and debate.

Sounds Jewish podcast: memories of London’s East End

From Petticoat Lane legend Mike Stern to ‘bagel poet’ Ben Mandelson, a special soundscape edition of the podcast pays tribute to the Jewish East End of London

A special soundscape edition of the podcast pays tribute to the Jewish East End of London.

Some of the sounds are old, archive recordings exhumed for the first time in decades; some are new, reflecting the way that part of London sounds today.

1. The Bagel. Self-styled bagel poet Ben Mandelson, creator of the “baiku” – part bagel, part haiku – and the night-time clientele of Beigel Bake on Brick Lane.

2. Sandra’s Story. Sandra Saintus was born in Jamaica, raised as a Pentecostal Christian and now runs the Stepney Jewish Day Centre.

3. Giving Life to the Dead. Susie Clapham is a young architect living in Bethnal Green who’s become obsessed with the long-abandoned Jewish cemetery on Bancroft Road, Mile End.

4. Memories of Water. Two East Enders remember how they used to bathe, in the kitchen – and in public.

5. In Search of Mike Stern. Once a legend of Petticoat Lane, the market trader even had a cigarette card dedicated to him. Now his voice lives on only in the archives – and in the memories of those who saw him sell.

Sounds Jewish: April 2012

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