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Jewish emancipation in the United Kingdom facts for kids

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Jewish emancipation means Jewish people in the United Kingdom gaining equal rights. For hundreds of years, there were special laws that limited what Jewish people could do. In the 1800s, many people worked hard to change these laws. They wanted Jewish men to have the same legal rights as other men in the country.

A New Hope for Jewish Rights

In 1829, Roman Catholics in the UK were finally freed from many old laws that limited their rights. This gave Jewish people a lot of hope. The very next year, in 1830, the first step was taken for Jewish rights. A politician named William Huskisson brought a request to Parliament from 2,000 business people in Liverpool.

Soon after, another politician, Robert Grant, introduced a bill to help Jewish people. This bill would be debated in Parliament for the next 30 years! A famous historian named Thomas Macaulay, who became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1830, strongly supported Jewish rights.

At first, the bill faced many challenges. It passed its first vote in the House of Commons, but a second vote failed. However, in 1833, the bill passed in the House of Commons. But when it went to the House of Lords, it was rejected. The same thing happened in 1834. The King, William IV, and many powerful politicians were against the bill.

Even though the main bill struggled, some smaller changes happened. In 1835, a new law allowed Jewish people to hold the important job of sheriff.

Jewish Members of Parliament

For a long time, Jewish people faced a big problem if they wanted to become a Member of Parliament (MP). The oath they had to take included the words "and I make this Declaration upon the true Faith of a Christian." This meant Jewish people who didn't convert to Christianity couldn't join Parliament.

Some people with Jewish backgrounds did become MPs earlier. For example, David Ricardo was an MP from 1819 to 1823. Benjamin Disraeli, who was born Jewish but became Christian as a child, became an MP in 1837. He later became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice! Because he had converted, the oath was not a problem for him.

After 1840, the main supporters of the Jewish rights bill, Robert Grant and Lord Holland, passed away. Jewish leaders then focused on getting permission for Jewish people to hold local government jobs. This finally happened in 1845. In 1846, the Religious Opinions Relief Act removed many smaller limits on Jewish people and other non-Christians. The only major job still closed to Jewish people was being an MP.

To push for change, Jewish leaders decided to try a new plan. They would get a Jewish person elected to Parliament, even if he couldn't take his seat.

In 1847, Lionel de Rothschild, a Jewish candidate, was elected as an MP for the City of London. But he couldn't take his seat because of the Christian oath. A new bill was introduced to help him, but the House of Lords rejected it. This happened again in 1849 when Rothschild was re-elected.

Then, in 1850, something dramatic happened. David Salomons, who had already fought successfully for Jewish people to hold local offices, was elected as an MP for Greenwich. He insisted on taking his seat without the Christian oath. He even voted! The Prime Minister, Lord John Russell, ordered Salomons to leave. Salomons spoke bravely, but the House still made him withdraw. Courts later fined him for voting without taking the full oath.

The government tried again with another bill in 1853, but the Lords rejected it too. In 1855, David Salomons became the Lord Mayor of London, showing his leadership.

Finally, in 1858, a compromise was reached with the Jews Relief Act 1858. This law allowed either the House of Commons or the House of Lords to let Jewish members take an oath without the words "on the true faith of a Christian."

So, on July 26, 1858, Lionel de Rothschild finally took his seat as the first Jewish Member of Parliament! He said "so help me, Jehovah" instead of the usual oath. David Salomons was also re-elected and took his seat in 1859. A few years later, a simpler oath was created for all MPs, completely removing the barrier for Jewish people.

More Freedoms and Changes

After Jewish people could join Parliament, more changes followed:

  • In 1867, the Reform Act 1867 gave almost all adult male homeowners the right to vote.
  • In 1871, the Universities Tests Act made it easier for Jewish students and teachers to study and work at English universities.
  • In 1885, Sir Nathaniel de Rothschild became the first Jewish person to join the House of Lords as Lord Rothschild.
  • Other Jewish leaders like Henry de Worms and Sydney Stern also became Lords.
  • By 1890, almost all jobs in the British Empire were open to any British citizen, no matter their religion. The only exceptions were the monarch and a few very specific high-ranking positions.

For a while, Jewish MPs mostly joined the Liberal Party, which had helped them gain their rights. But later, many Jewish voters and politicians started to support the Conservative Party. This was partly because of Benjamin Disraeli's influence and because many Jewish people were in business, which often aligned with Conservative ideas.

The fight for Jewish rights in the UK lasted about 60 years. By 1890, Jewish people and Roman Catholics had achieved full equality. This long process also helped Jewish people become more accepted in society.

Helping Jewish Communities Abroad

Even before full emancipation, Jewish leaders in England played a big role in helping Jewish communities in other countries.

  • In 1840, when false accusations (called "blood libels") were made against Jewish people in Damascus, Syria, English Jews led the protests. Sir Moses Montefiore, a very important Jewish leader, even met with the Sultan in Constantinople to get a special order saying the accusations were false.
  • Montefiore also visited Russia in 1846 to help Jewish people there and went to Rome in 1860 for the Mortara affair, where a Jewish boy was taken from his family.
  • English MPs like Francis Goldsmid spoke in Parliament about the persecution of Jewish people in Serbia and Romania. This led to a committee being formed to watch over the Romanian government's actions.

Helping Russian Jewish Refugees

In 1881, terrible attacks against Jewish communities, called pogroms, began in Russia. Jewish people in England quickly took the lead in helping.

  • Newspaper articles in The Times in 1882 showed the world how bad the attacks were.
  • A large meeting was held in London, and people raised over £108,000 to help. This money was used to help Russian Jewish refugees travel to the United States.
  • When more attacks happened in 1891, another £100,000 was collected to help refugees move west.
  • Many Russian refugees came to England, especially to the East End of London. This caused some challenges, as the newcomers were often poor and had different customs. Some people in England worried about the number of immigrants.
  • While other parts of Europe saw a rise in strong anti-Jewish feelings, England had been mostly free of this. However, the large number of Russian immigrants led to some protests.
  • In 1902, a special group was formed to study the issue of immigration. They heard from people who wanted to limit immigration and those who didn't. Some reports falsely claimed that the immigrants brought diseases like smallpox, but there was no real proof.


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