The Hoppensteins – 120 years of an Edinburgh Jewish family with Fiona Frank – 7.30pm

Rabbi Zvi David Hoppenstein and his wife Sophia arrived in Edinburgh in the 1880s, and lived in eight different addresses in Leith, Dalry, St Michael, and around the Meadows as they raised their nine children – five boys and four girls.

For her PhD at the Scottish Oral History Centre, Strathclyde University, Fiona Frank tracked down and interviewed Zvi David and Sophia’s descendants across the UK and as far as Cape Town. Some branches of the family were harder to find than others, as ‘outmarriage’ meant that some cousins were no longer in touch with the wider family. Fiona listened as members of the family talked about their relationship with their Jewish identity and their Jewish roots. The story of the family and the research is featured in Fiona’s book, Candles, Conversions and Class: five generations of a Scottish Jewish Family published by the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre (see below for details of how attendees can purchase this book at a reduced price).

Fiona will talk about how and why she embarked on her research journey, how she chose the Hoppenstein family (or how the Hoppenstein family chose her!), and how she tracked down different members of the family. She’ll share some of the stories she was told – and because we’re online, we will have the opportunity of hearing from some of the extended Hoppenstein family who were interviewed, who will tell some of their own stories as part of this fascinating session.

Fiona Frank has a BA in European Studies from the University of Bath, a Masters of Education from the University of Sheffield in Adult Literacy studies, and a PhD from Strathclyde University Centre. After 20 years working in adult education and educational research at Lancaster University, she moved to a position with SCoJeC, the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities in 2011, and was their Projects and Outreach Manager, carrying out research and organising events with Scotland’s Jewish communities, till her retirement in autumn 2020.

Fiona Frank photo © Ruth Corney

Booking instructions

This will be an event on Zoom. Join the event from 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start.

To book a place at this event please use this link: https://tinyurl.com/EJCC270521 to complete your registration. Shortly after booking you will receive an e-mail with the full login details including password. We will also send a reminder on the day to remind you of the meeting ID and password.

If you have any problems using this link, please e-mail [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

**To purchase Candles, Conversions and Class: five generations of a Scottish Jewish Family at the reduced price of £10 plus £3.60 p&p (normally £12.50) go to https://www.sjac.org.uk/product/candles-conversions-and-class/.