A WEBSITE two years in the making has uncovered Oxford’s “rich, yet largely hidden” Jewish heritage.

The Oxford Jewish Congregation launched the resource in a mission to raise the profile of Jewish history in the city, from the earliest records through to the current day.

The site boasts a detailed map of medieval Jewish Oxford – which can be overlayed with the current street scene – and a list of 250 medieval Jewish personalities in the city, compiled by historian Pam Manix.

Dr Evie Kemp, convener of the OJC’s heritage committee and a great-niece of famous Jewish historian Cecil Roth, said: “It became increasingly obvious to a new generation that Oxford’s Jewish heritage was a rich, yet largely hidden, entity.

“Oxford is arguably the best documented 13th Century Jewish community in the world.

“This is a first step in bringing this fascinating history to a wider audience.”

She added: “Some of the stories contained within the site are amazing.

“St Aldate’s was called Great Jewry Street and we know the names of the people who lived there, what they did, who they married and what happened to them. There was an unusual number of women who ran businesses at the time.“ Committee member Dr Michael Ward said: “One of the people we have found through this project is Pam Manix, who has done a large amount of this research for us.

“We had set up the committee, then we found her.

“She’s an American who happened to be in Oxford and she has a long-held interest in this community, because it is a story waiting to be told.

“It’s a history of Oxford and a group of people living in Oxford and their interactions and relationships with those around them.

“Not all of the committee members are Jewish and we hope this website will appeal to people with an interest in Oxford’s history, and not just people in the Jewish community.

“It’s very much a work in progress and we are still getting material to put on the site.”

tairs@oxfordmail.co.uk You can visit the site by logging on to website oxfordjewishheritage.co.uk