New directions in Anglo-Jewish history

This collection is the advance guard of the second wave of scholarly research into the Jewish experience in Britain since the predominance of gifted amateurs ended in the 1980s. Multi-disciplinary, wide ranging, conceptually sophisticated, full of irony, and frequently witty, there are no apologetics here. With these mainly young scholars, hailing from a variety of backgrounds, British Jewish history has reached maturity. The results are fascinating, sometimes shocking, but always illuminating. - David Cesarani, Research Professor in History at Royal Holloway, University of London -- This neatly edited volume provides exciting new insights into Anglo-Jewish history, with topics as varied as literature, film and orphanages, ranging in chronology from the mid-Victorian era through the eve of the Second World War. They break through barriers of history from above and below, of history and culture, and of Jewish and non-Jewish responses, providing critical perspectives on new and old topics alike. Taken together they represent the coming of age of the study of Anglo-Jewry, a subject matter until recently sadly ignored in British as well as Jewish historiography. -- Professor Tony Kushn