Jewish Identity in British Politics

The Case of the First Jewish MPs, 1858?87

Bibliographic Data

ID2764637
AuthorsMichael Clark (0000-0003-3287-8478, corresponding author)
Year2007
Volume13
Issue2
Pages93-126
Publication date2007-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJewish Social Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-6704 • E-ISSN: 1527-2028
PublisherIndiana University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2979/jss.2007.13.2.93
OpenAlexW2060701525
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited9

This article examines the nature of Jewish identity in British politics through a case study of the first Jewish Members of Parliament. The 1858 achievement of the right to sit in Parliament marked the culmination of the struggle for Jewish emancipation in Britain. Consequently, the first Jewish MPs were at the forefront of debates concerning Anglo-Jewry's place in British society and were confronted, in particular, with the dichotomy that equality presented European Jews: existing as a minority subculture in a modern nation-state. Between 1858 and 1887, Jewish MPs grew in number and successfully combined Jewish and general interests with little antisemitic reproach, demonstrating a remarkable confluence between the community's and the nation's concerns. However, certain issues raised tensions that forced Anglo-Jewry to defend their specificity within British politics against the perceived terms of their inclusion. This article reveals the ambiguous nature of nineteenth-century Anglo-Jewish identity, highlighting its integration but also continuing particularity and precariousness

Aesthetics · Anti-Zionism · Antisemitism · Archaeology · Art · Emancipation · Genealogy · Haskalah · Identity (music · Jewish identity · Jewish studies · Judaism · Parliament · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Subculture (biology · Gender Studies · History · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Jewish Identity and Society · Law · Philosophy · Religious studies

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