English Zionists And British Jews

Demonstrating that the reaction of the Anglo-Jewish community to modern Jewish nationalism was far more complex than conventionally thought, Stuart A. Cohen argues that the conflict between Zionists and anti-Zionists, although often stated in strictly ideological terms, was also an aspect of a larger contest for community control. Originally published in 1982. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Demonstrating that the reaction of the Anglo-Jewish community to modern Jewish nationalism was far more complex than conventionally thought, Stuart A. Cohen argues that the conflict between Zionists and anti-Zionists, although often stated in strictly ideological terms, was also an aspect of a larger contest for community control. Originally published in 1982. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Stephan E. C. Wendehorst explores the relationship between British Jewry and Zionism from 1936 to 1956, a crucial period in modern Jewish history encompassing both the shoah and the establishment of the State of Israel. He attempts to provide an answer to what, at first sight, appears to be a contradiction: the undoubted prominence of Zionism among British Jews on the one hand, and its diverse expressions, ranging from aliyah to making a donation to a Zionist fund, on the other. Wendehorst argues that the ascendancy of Zionism in British Jewry is best understood as a particularly complex, but not untypical, variant of the 19th and 20th century's trend to re-imagine communities in a national key. He examines the relationship between British Jewry and Zionism on three levels: the transnational Jewish sphere of interaction, the British Jewish community, and the place of the Jewish community in British state and society. The introduction adapts theories of nationalism so as to provide a framework of analysis for Diaspora Zionism. Chapter one addresses the question of why British Jews became Zionists, chapter two how the various quarters of British Jewry related to the Zionist project in the Middle East, chapter three Zionist nation-building in Britain and chapter four the impact of Zionism on Jewish relations with the larger society. The conclusion modifies the original argument by emphasising the impact that the specific fabric of British state and society, in particular the Empire, had on British Zionism.

Stephan E. C. Wendehorst explores the relationship between British Jewry and Zionism from 1936 to 1956, a crucial period in modern Jewish history encompassing both the shoah and the establishment of the State of Israel. He attempts to provide an answer to what, at first sight, appears to be a contradiction: the undoubted prominence of Zionism among British Jews on the one hand, and its diverse expressions, ranging from aliyah to making a donation to a Zionist fund, on the other. Wendehorst argues that the ascendancy of Zionism in British Jewry is best understood as a particularly complex, but not untypical, variant of the 19th and 20th century's trend to re-imagine communities in a national key. He examines the relationship between British Jewry and Zionism on three levels: the transnational Jewish sphere of interaction, the British Jewish community, and the place of the Jewish community in British state and society. The introduction adapts theories of nationalism so as to provide a framework of analysis for Diaspora Zionism. Chapter one addresses the question of why British Jews became Zionists, chapter two how the various quarters of British Jewry related to the Zionist project in the Middle East, chapter three Zionist nation-building in Britain and chapter four the impact of Zionism on Jewish relations with the larger society. The conclusion modifies the original argument by emphasising the impact that the specific fabric of British state and society, in particular the Empire, had on British Zionism.

Surveys Anglo-Jewish history in the period 1858-1939. Notes that emancipation did not mean the end of anti-Jewish prejudice. Describes restrictions on East European Jewish immigration in 1881-1914, claiming that the common argument that immigration harmed native workers was connected with the policy of trade protectionism. In the Edwardian era, Jews began to be perceived as ruthless financial manipulators; Jewish interests were regarded as alien, and Jews were accused of ties with Germany during World War I. Between 1916 and the early 1920s, antisemitism grew: Jews were especially identified with the revolutionary movements, and the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" received wide prominence. In the 1930s, the British Union of Fascists and other fascist groups were active, and the Board of Deputies was forced to take defensive measures at a time when it was also involved in opposing Nazism and helping Central European Jewish refugees.

The first book to examine the response of the British Jewish community to the destruction of the European Jewish community during World War II. The author charts the response of Jews and their organisations to the unfolding tragedy of Europe's Jews raising controversial questions about the Anglo-Jewish community's priorities and organisation.

This study of the relationship between three anti-Zionist bodies in Britain also analyzes the Zionist attitude to the Jewish Fellowship, the Arab Office and the Committee for Arab Affairs.