Our history

Edinburgh House started life in 1747 as the Beth Holim in the Mile End Road, set up by the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community of England for medical care of the community’s poor. It was one of the UK’s first Charities and the first hospital in Europe to offer affordable professional care combined with a Jewish way of life. It became exclusively a Home for the Aged over 100 years ago, and relocated to Wembley in 1977, when it was officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh, its Patron, and the name Edinburgh House added.

In 1991, a separate block of 15 sheltered flats was opened on the same site, funded by the generous legacy of Mr Richard Harris.

In 2002 the Home completed its £1 million refurbishment and the whole complex was renamed in memory of Mrs Hilda Sofaer zl, a long time supporter of Edinburgh House, and funded by a major donation from her family and from other generous donors.

In 2010 we completed a £350,000 redesign of the interior, bringing all the daytime facilities to the ground floor. A major donation and fundraising event helped to finance this project.

In September 2017, Edinburgh House rebranded to JewishChoice, the elderly care campus to better reflect our vision and values and to better communicate what makes us unique. JewishChoice is a community hub, not just a care home.

Central to our vision, is the belief in ‘choice not need’ – the idea that our home is a place elderly people and their families will want to live in, rather than because they have no other choice. At any touch points of the campus, residents, tenants or visitors will always be met with choice.