The recent purchase of The Swan, a pub in London by the Bobov community elicited a number of reactions from the gentile community, some of them seen as dangerously close to anti-Semitic. The Swan in Clapton Common, a residential community lying between Upper Clapton and Stamford Hill, had been struggling financially and was put up for sale by the owners of the building. Regular visitors at the bar were angered at the news that the Bobov community had offered £1 million to buy the pub, and vowed to stop the purchase.

Save the Swan, the campaign begun by residents of Clapton Common to halt the sale of the site, was meant to be an effort to preserve a location important to the community. Sasha Johnson, the spokeswoman for the group said, “Stamford Hill is an area where everyone has lived side by side and there is very little friction between communities. No one wants the campaign to be seen as an attack on the Jewish community. It isn’t. We simply want to keep our pub.”

However, some comments got nasty. A letter to the editor in one of the local papers claimed that the Jewish community has an agenda. It stated, “It’s the nature of the Jewish community to snap up any building that comes on the market, in and around its designated area, and [they don’t care about] the feelings and concerns of residents. The Swan belongs to the people of Hackney, and is part of Hackney’s history, but the Bobov Jewish community has no “respect” for that.”

A spokesman for Bobov said that the pub was slated to be sold regardless of Bobov’s interest in it. He went so far as to offer a new lease to keep the building functioning as a pub, but reported that the leaseholder was not interested in the idea. The spokesman added, “ We don’t want to cause any upset. Everyone lives peacefully side by side here and our neighbors are wonderful to us.”

Despite the efforts of the neighborhood campaign, Bobov succeeded in purchasing the building. They plan to convert it into a shul and meeting rooms. Once the refurbishments are completed, organizers estimate that 150 people will be able to use the complex at any one time. The building is expected to be ready for use within several months.

(YWN Desk – NYC)