Several years ago, before the Middlesbrough synagogue was closed, our Head of Religious Studies, Miss Eddon, took a group of Macmillan students for a tour of the building. Their guide was David Simon whose family had worshipped there for almost a century.

Several years ago, before the Middlesbrough synagogue, the Jewish place of worship, was closed because there were not enough Jews left in the town to support it, our Head of Religious Studies, Miss Eddon, took a group of Macmillan students for a tour of the building.  Their guide was David Simon whose family had worshipped there for almost a century.

Before our students left the synagogue, Mr Simon offered the Academy one of the beautiful stained glass widows which had been placed there in memory of his grandfather, Henry Simon.

That window is now reframed and has pride of place in the Art and Design Department.  Mr Simon, who provides a prize every year at our Awards Evening, visited the Academy with some of his family on Friday 14 September to see the window again and to tell a group of our Year 11 students the story of Henry Simon.  Before he left, he presented us with a book explaining the Jewish way of life and the story of Anne Frank.

Judaism is an ancient religion which believes that there is only one God. Jews call God Yahweh or Jehovah. Abraham, Moses, King David, King Solomon and Jesus were all famous Jews as, in more modern times, was the brilliant scientist Dr Albert Einstein.

The book by which all Jews live their lives is called the Torah. The Jewish hold day, the Sabbath, is from sunset on Friday and all day Saturday.