The Northern Line – Judy Simons

When Sheffield born Judy Simons discovered a treasure chest of papers hidden at the back of a wardrobe she realised she had unearthed a gripping family saga.  Drawing on diaries, letters, photographs and heirlooms, Judy’s research took her into immigrant ships from the Pale of Settlement, Manchester sweatshops, Victorian lunatic asylums and the horrors of the concentration camps. The Northern Line throws fresh light on a forgotten part of Sheffield history –  the early days of its Jewish community and its role as a sanctuary for refugees fleeing from the pogroms in the 1880s and from Nazi persecution in the 1930s.  This is a fascinating narrative which blends memory and social history.