[ News
| Homes
| Life
| Entertainment
| History
| Science
| Community
| Shop ]
| Sport
| Culture
| Cars
| Money
| Broadband
| Learning
| Health
| Dating
| Games ]
[ Text Only: Homepage ]
[ Graphical: Channel4 Homepage ]
It is generally thought that the first Jews into England arrived with the Norman Conquest in 1066, from Rouen. Enjoying the favour of successive kings, they flourishing by money-lending and trade, but the wealth accrued from monastic and aristocratic defaulters also brought resentment and dislike. The community came under increasing attacks and were subjected to superstitious and unfounded charges. Chief among these were ritual murder accusations.
In 1217 English Jews were made to wear yellow badges and during the remainder of the century they came under increasing restrictions, culminating in their expulsion in 1290 by Edward I.
Those who dared to remain stayed with the Domus Conversorum, having converted to Christianity, until 1551. Attempts to revoke the expulsion edict failed and when some Jews returned in the 14th century, for example, complaints were made to the king.
For 350 years Jews were more or less excluded from the country, and towards the end of this time, in 1589, anti-Semitic feelings were fuelled by Marlowe's play The Jew of Malta and then in 1597 by Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.
Nevertheless, with the coming of Oliver Cromwell and the increasing influence of the Puritans, Jews were re-admitted to England in 1655. Cromwell's view was that Jewish contacts throughout the world would be useful to the country's international trade.
When Jews were expelled from Spain, an enemy of England, a large number arrived in London in the mid-1600s. Still persecuted in England, many formed a secret congregation, outwardly appearing as Catholics.
The edict of expulsion has never been formally repealed, but in 1740 a statute was passed, allowing Jews who had lived in the colonies for seven years to become naturalised. In 1753, a similar act, with much opposition, was applied to Jews in England. Huge demonstrations followed, with Jewish dummies burned. The bill was repealed in 1754 and then another passed in 1845.
In 1901 The British Brothers League campaigned against 'alien immigration', particularly of Jews escaping Eastern Europe's pogroms. In 1905 the first immigration act, the Aliens Act, was introduced. Entry to Britain became discretionary rather than a right.
Jews were not the only people to suffer rising racism. A large black population who had lived in England for hundreds of years also came under attack and in 1911 the same fate befell Cardiff's small Chinese population.
A tougher Aliens Act was introduced in 1914, requiring aliens to register, restricting movement and imposing deportations. And in 1919, another cut the ports open to immigrants and, among other things, allowed the authorities to deport aliens involved in industrial disputes.
When in 1935-36 there were numerous attacks on Jewish people in the East End of London, often instigated by Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists, opposition mounted, culminating in the Battle of Cable Street.
Asked by the Board of Deputies of British Jews to intervene to stop the persecution of the Jews in Germany during the 1930s, the British government refused to do anything that might be seen as interfering in Germany's internal politics.
When the war began, the board again asked the UK government to highlight the genocide and bomb Auschwitz. There was no response, with the UK government also resisting Jewish immigration to Palestine.
By 1941 when the Struma made its fateful journey, British support was still ambiguous and the emerging Jewish state in British-controlled Palestine still far from secure.
History of prejudice
Graphic
version
Includes layout and images.