Joel Friedman was not expecting his otherwise ordinary sunny Shabbat in June to be immortalised forever online, particularly given he is from a Strictly Orthodox community on Canvey island, and doesn’t use technology on Shabbat. Nevertheless, it was.

His stroll to shul, alongside other typical Shabbat scenes, was captured in June of this year when a Google Street View car made its way through Canvey Island, in Essex, capturing everyday life for its global mapping service.

In a particularly well-timed moment, the car passed through the area where his synagogue is located, just after the davening (prayers) had ended.

It was midday, and many members of the local Jewish community were walking home dressed in their traditional attire in scenes that can now be viewed when looking up the area on Google maps.

Among those captured by the Google camera was Joel, a prominent figure in the community and one of the people first  to move to Canvey Island with his family in 2016.

Joel has been a key figure in helping establish and grow the Jewish community in the area.

What began with just six families has grown into a vibrant community of around 135 families.

Speaking to the JC, Joel shared how he first learned that he had been captured on the Google Street View images. "I was first notified of this by a friend who spotted me on Street View.

“So, I had a closer look at the surrounding streets and was happy to see the community documented in this way."

Reflecting on the moment, he added: "I actually recall seeing the Google car pass by and thought about waving, but due to Shabbat, I didn’t engage."

The images captured by the Google Street View car offer a snapshot of the Canvey Island Jewish community, as well as highlighting a Shabbat scene to the world.

Canvey Island’s growing Jewish Community on Shabbat was captured by Google Street View (Photo: Google Street View)

Joel, who is a former director of public affairs at the Pinter Trust and a trustee of Canvey Jewish Trust, said: “The juxtaposition of modern technology capturing a moment of deep tradition has not gone unnoticed by community members.

"This reminds me of pictures of the old 'heim,'" he said. "There’s famous footage of a film captured in Munkatch (in Ukraine) –where my grandparents actually lived – that shows Chasidic men, in very similar attire, piling out of the shul on a Shabbat morning. It’s encouraging to see the culture and traditions of yesteryear continuing strongly in the UK in general, and now also in Canvey.

"It’s quite amusing that such a modern tool like Google Street View managed to capture a moment of deep tradition," he added. "For us, Shabbat is a time to disconnect from the digital world, so it's ironic to see it immortalised online in this way."

Canvey Island’s Jewish community has seen significant growth since its inception, contributing to the island’s diversity.