History of our group

Monday, 11 May 2009
100 years of Jewish Scouting in Leeds

In 1909 a group of Jewish lads in the Jewish area of North Street Leeds, watched a group of scouts with an adult leader doing scouting games in the nearby recreation ground. They were so interested that they asked Solomon Miller and Louis Rosenhead to lead them.

Solomon Miller was issued with his Leader warrant on 4th October 1909, but Scout H.Q.in a confirmatory letter, stated that as it was taking a long time in those days to process a leader warrant, and as Scout H.Q. did not start the registration of individual groups until 1919, the 7th Central Leeds (Jewish), was almost certainly the oldest Jewish Scout troop in the world.

In the early days, the meetings were held in such places as tailor’s workshops, attics, and even in the mortuary of the old Hertzl Moser Hospital, when its usual occupants were not present! This wandering in the wilderness continued until a permanent home was found in Judean Club. The troop not only survived but spawned a cub pack, a sister Guide Troop, and later; a second Scouts troop to meet the needs of Jewish children in Moortown. Over the years, venues other than the Judean Club have included the S.H. Lyons Youth Centre, Sinai Synagogue and wooden HQ on Fir Tree Lane.

The Scout Association changed its names for areas and groups over the years. The original group was called The 7th Central, this changed to the 27th North Leeds and The 15th Northvale (judean). A few years after the Judean Club site was re-developed Scouting was in a decline and numbers were low. The leaders of the 15th Northvale and The 16th Northvale decided to join together as the 15/16th Northvale. The money from the old Judean scout hut was used to replace the old wooden hut on Firtree Lane. The 16th Northvale had previously been known as the 22nd North Leeds and was referred to as the Firtree Group. Currently (2009) the combined group is called The 22nd North Leeds.

The situation now in the hundredth year of Jewish scouting is, that they seem to have weathered the dip in numbers attributable to the intrusion into young lives of the computer. They look forward with confidence, to the next hundred years, when Scouting and Guiding will continue to encourage our young men and women in respect and involvement.