Take a walk around the quiet tree-lined streets of Golders Green and you might feel transported out of London entirely. But rather than comparing it to a quaint English market town, residents find that the area feels more like Israel than your average North London suburb.
"It’s just like Israel but not in Israel," says David who works in Kosher Deli on Golders Green Road. "I’m originally from Israel and it reminds me a lot of home due to the community. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else."
Although the leafy streets surrounding the high street are common in parts of North London, Golders Green's high street is truly unique. The area is home to dozens of Jewish butchers, cafés, restaurants and more to cater for the local community.
The latest Census survey in 2021 reflects this, with the Office for National Statistics survey revealing some 53.1 per cent of people in Golders Green North are Jewish. This is biggest concentration in London and second biggest in Britain behind Broughton Park in Manchester.
Just over a quarter of people living in Golders Green South are Jewish, while the religion makes up 51.4 per cent of people in Stamford Hill. The latter is home to the largest Charedi (Hasidic) community in the world outside of Israel and New York.
Along with the Kosher shops in the area, Golders Green is also home to about 30 synagogues. Some of these are situated in larger buildings, while you'll also find numerous semi-detached homes that have been converted into places of worship.
As many Jewish people don't drive or use public transport during the Sabbath, these synagogues are dotted across Golders Green within walking distance of Jewish people living across the area.
Vicki Belovksi, who is the Rebbetzin of Golders Green Synagogue, said the community is home to diverse range of Jewish people.
"Stamford Hill is very Hasidic, we have Hasidics here while it also ranges down to those who are secular," she tells MyLondon. "Everybody lives very happily together."
"The ethos of Golders Green Synagogue is Orthodox, although not all the members are fully observant. But because in Golders Green, all sorts of people live next door to each other, everyone is very comfortable with each other."
She added: "Overall it's very mixed. You could not be doing very much at all but your neighbour could be a Hasidic person."
Valerie Kohn, who works at Gross Butchers, describes the area as 'marvellous' with 'everything we need right on our doorstep'. The 82-year-old moved to the area in 1954 and purchased her semi-detached home where she still lives for just £4,000.
Although some Jews living in Golders Green pointed to different cultures moving to the area as the biggest way it’s changed, Valerie said the change in businesses along the street is the biggest noticeable difference.
"The area used to be quite a smart shopping location a few decades ago," she adds. "There used to be lots of trendy dress shops, shoe shops and similar places along the high street but when Brent Cross became more popular most of the business moved there."
The Kosher shops along Golders Green Road aren't just popular with Jewish people, as other residents in the area visit the shops for the alternative options available.
Keren Zion, 29, manager of Carmelli Bakery, said: "Although most of our customers are Jewish, we cater for a whole range of people. This is part of what makes the area unique as there's a great community feel."
Jewish people began moving to Golders Green about 100 years ago in the late 1910s.
This was encouraged by the extension of the Northern line which meant suburban parts of the city could now enjoy easy links to Central London.
The population then soared during the interwar period as Jewish communities escaped persecution in Germany and other parts of Europe and it continued to grow throughout the 20th century.
Despite the fact Golders Green remains a popular area, this popularity is causing problems for younger Jews wanting to remain in the area.
The average property price in the area is an eye-watering £1.2 million, according to Rightmove, with a vast quantity family homes even fetching more than £2 million.
"Houses here are ridiculously expensive," Vicki Belovski added.
"People who live on this road tend to have lived here for a long time because otherwise they wouldn’t be able to afford it. In other parts of Golders Green houses are much smaller, but are still ridiculously expensive.
"Young couples can’t really afford to live here, my eldest daughter is renting in Hendon for example. I’m not sure they wanted to live in Golders Green but even if they did they wouldn’t be able to afford it.
"A lot of people go to Edgware or Borehamwood."
Like other Jewish parents in Golders Green, Vicki - who has seven children between the ages of 14 and 28 - fears her children won't be able to live in the area they grew up in.
She said: "It’s a countrywide problem, but particularly if you want to live in a certain area. If you haven’t got family ties or you need to be near Jewish facilities then you’ve got a much broader area to look in."
This has led to breakaway communities forming across south England as Jewish people look outside of London for home.
Vicki said: "There are two breakaway communities in Westcliff in Southend and one in Canvey Island. The latter has lots of larger family homes where the kids have all grown up and moved on, so the parents are happy to move away.
"The founding families then moved in and now there’s 100 families living there."
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London365 - Golders Green
MyLondon visited Golders Green as part of our London365 project, where our reporters will be visiting a different part of the city every day in 2023.
Ever wondered what it's like to live in the part of London furthest from a Tube station? Or in the shadow of one of the world's busiest airports? How is gentrification impacting some of London's neighbourhoods hardest hit by the cost of living crisis?
From Brent to Bromley, Hillingdon to Havering, and everywhere in between, the MyLondon team will explore the biggest issues facing Londoners, while celebrating every part of the city this year.
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