Description
Book SynopsisProfessor Geoffrey Alderman is the acknowledged authority on the history of the Jews in modern Britain. During an academic career spanning forty years he has produced some of the most authoritative and controversial studies in this field, lighting up the dark corners of the Jewish existence in Great Britain and revealing secrets the Anglo-Jewish communities would rather have kept from public view. In this book he presents sixteen of these essays, covering fields as disparate as the history of the Jewish vote in the UK, the true story of the British Chief Rabbinate, and the uneasy tenure of Sir Jonathan Sacks in that office. He also considers the role of the historian in Anglo-Jewish life, and the troubled careers of some of its leaders and scholars.
Trade Review"This anthology is a showcase for Alderman's achievements as an historian, and a lesson in how to write minority history…a lively collection that combines essays of the highest scholarship with courageous journalism."--D. Cesarani, Royal Holloway, University of London in EHR, cxxv. 513 (Apr. 2010)
Table of ContentsPreface. Acknowledgments. 1. Anglo-Jewry: A Suitable Case for Treatment. 2. Academic Duty and Communal Obligation: Some Thoughts on the Writing of Anglo-Jewish History. 3. The Jew as Scapegoat? The Settlement and Reception of Jews in South Wales before 1914. 4. The Anti-Jewish Riots of August 1911 in South Wales: A Response. 5. The British Chief Rabbinate: A Most Peculiar Practice. 6. Power, Authority and Status in British Jewry: The Chief Rabbinate and Shechita. 7. The Defense of Shechita: Anglo-Jewry and the 'Humane Conditions' Regulations in 1990. 8. Jewish Political Attitudes and Voting Patterns in England 1945-1987. 9. London Jewry and London Politics, 1889-1934. 10. Jews in the Economy of London (1850-1940). 11. M.H. Davis: The Rise and Fall of a Communal Upstart. 12. English Jews or Jews of the English Persuasion: Reflections on the Emancipation of Anglo-Jewry. 13. British Jewry: The Disintegration of a Community. 14. That Letter... Rabbinical Politics and Jewish Management. 15. Kosher Sex and Leadership Lubrication. 16. Cecil Roth: A Personal Appraisal. Guide to Further Reading. Index.
