Resettlement of Jews in England (Year 8 Iyun)

Jewish History in England

• In the 12th and 13th centuries, England had a significant Jewish population.
• Under Edward I, Jews faced heavy taxation, large fines, and eventually, expulsion in 1290.
• For the next 3.5 centuries, Jews were banned from entering England.

Resettlement

• In 1651, Oliver Cromwell wanted to attract rich Jews from Amsterdam to London.
• Cromwell sent a delegation to Amsterdam to negotiate with Rabbi Menasseh Ben Israel.
• In 1655, Menasseh requested permission for Jews to return to England, but a national conference couldn't agree.
• Cromwell gave informal permission for Jews to live and trade in England, provided they kept their Judaism private.

Marano Merchants

• In the mid-17th century, a large number of Marano merchants (secret Jews from Spain and Portugal) settled in London.
• They formed a secret congregation, which eventually became the Bevis Marks Synagogue, still used today.
• These merchants conducted business with the East and West Indies, Canary Islands, Brazil, Holland, Spain, and Portugal.

Rothschild Family

• Mayer Anschel Rothschild developed a bank and set up branches in 5 European cities, with each of his 5 sons in charge.
• The family's fortune began with Nathan Mayer Rothschild, who financed the English army.
• The Rothschild family developed a network of couriers to transport gold and information across Europe, amassing great wealth.
• They contributed to international finance during the Industrial Revolution and provided finance to governments for major projects.

Sir Moses Montefiore

• Born in 1784, Sir Moses Montefiore was a stockbroker in the City of London and became the brother-in-law of Nathan Mayer Rothschild.
• He retired from business in 1824 and devoted himself to communal affairs.
• He built a synagogue on his personal estate in Ramsgate, Kent, and traveled with his own Shochet to ensure kosher meat.
• He was awarded a knighthood by Queen Victoria in 1837 and a baronetcy in 1846.

Jewish MP in Parliament

• Lionel Rothschild was elected as MP for the City of London in 1847, but refused to take his seat due to the Christian oath.
• He campaigned for change, supported by Benjamin Disraeli, and eventually took his oath in accordance with Jewish traditions in 1858.
• This marked a significant step towards religious freedom.

Late 19th Century Immigration

• Until the late 19th century, Jewish immigrants came to Britain from nearby countries like Holland, Germany, and Poland.
• The closing decades of the 19th century saw desperate conditions for Jews in Russia and Poland, leading to increased immigration to Britain and other countries.

Aliens Act and World War I

• In 1903, a Royal Commission was called to investigate the effects of alien immigration into Britain.
• The first Aliens Act, limiting immigration, was passed in 1905.
• The outbreak of World War I in 1914 halted the patterns of migration.
• In the 1930s, many Jewish refugees sought entry to Britain, but only around 50,000 arrived.