A MUSLIM photographer has spent a year documenting Bradford’s dwindling Jewish community.

Nudrat Afza was inspired by how the city’s synagogue, in Manningham, was saved from closure by a neighbouring mosque. Her images, taken at the synagogue, can be seen in an exhibition called Kehillah (congregation in Hebrew) at Salts Mill.

“There are fewer and fewer Jewish people left in Bradford,” said Nudrat. “Many Jewish people came to the city in the 19th century, contributing a huge amount to its industrial success. They came again in the 20th century, fleeing persecution in Europe. The movement of people has an acute resonance currently, with the plight of economic migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees due to war, famine and oppressive regimes.

"Bradford has been my home since I came here from Pakistan in the mid-1960s. I’ve seen changes over the decades and photographed many of them. Jewish people are such an important part of Bradford’s history. I’ve spent the last year with the congregation at the city’s last synagogue in Bowland Street, gaining their trust and watching as they try to keep their place of worship alive. Their commitment inspired me, as did the coming together of different communities to raise funds for the upkeep of this extraordinary Grade II * building. This place matters to us all.”

As a Muslim woman in a Jewish place of worship, Nudrat’s subtle, hand-held approach was key. She was given permission by the rabbi to take pictures before and after services. “I try to build relationships with people and be sensitive rather than intrusive,” said Nudrat, a self-taught photographer.

Her black and white images were taken on a camera given to her by Oscar-winning screenwriter Simon Beaufoy. The Glusburn-born writer of Slumdog Millionaire and The Full Monty became an admirer of Nudrat’s work when a calendar, City Girls, featured female fans she photographed at Valley Parade.

“Everyone with a phone can take a photograph. But not everybody is a photographer,” said Mr Beaufoy. “In the colourful noise of a billion images, a few people stand out. Nudrat is one of them. Like all the best art, the images reflect the artist: watchful, politely enquiring, melancholic with the hint of a smile.

"So unobtrusive is the photographer’s eye, that it’s easy to miss what is being explored. There is always warmth and empathy, but often a distant sound of thunder.””

 

Built in 1881, Bradford Synagogue faced closure in 2013, leading the local Muslim community to raise funds for roof repairs. The only synagogue in the world with a Muslim on its committee, its inter-faith work was praised by Prince Edward when he visited the historic building in February. Bradford Synagogue chairman Rudi Leavor said: “It has oriental, Islamic and Sephardic (Iberian) designs, making it unique in the world. It needs to be cherished and preserved.”

l Kehillah, the Boardrooms, Salts Mill, during Saltaire Festival until Sunday, September 22.