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People of the Book
The history of Judaism has for too long been dominated by the theme of antisemitism, reducing Judaism to the recurrent saga of persecution and the struggle for survival. The history of philosemitism provides a corrective to that abysmal view, a reminder of the venerable religion and people that have been an inspiration for non-Jews as well as Jews.
There is a poetic justice – or historic justice – in the fact that England, the first country to expel the Jews in medieval times, has produced the richest literature of philosemitism in modern times.
From Cromwell supporting the readmission of the Jews in the 17th century, to Macaulay arguing for the admission of Jews as Members of Parliament in the 19th century, to Churchill urging the recognition of the state of Israel in the 20th, some of England's most eminent writers and statesmen have paid tribute to Jews and Judaism. Their speeches and writing are powerfully resonant today. As are novels by Walter Scott, Disraeli, and George Eliot, which anticipate Zionism well before the emergence of that movement and look forward to the state of Israel, not as a refuge for the persecuted, but as a "homeland" rooted in Jewish history.
A recent history of antisemitism in England regretfully observes that English philosemitism is "a past glory." This book may recall England – and not only England – to that past glory and inspire other countries to emulate it. It may also reaffirm Jews in their own faith and aspirations.
There is a poetic justice – or historic justice – in the fact that England, the first country to expel the Jews in medieval times, has produced the richest literature of philosemitism in modern times.
From Cromwell supporting the readmission of the Jews in the 17th century, to Macaulay arguing for the admission of Jews as Members of Parliament in the 19th century, to Churchill urging the recognition of the state of Israel in the 20th, some of England's most eminent writers and statesmen have paid tribute to Jews and Judaism. Their speeches and writing are powerfully resonant today. As are novels by Walter Scott, Disraeli, and George Eliot, which anticipate Zionism well before the emergence of that movement and look forward to the state of Israel, not as a refuge for the persecuted, but as a "homeland" rooted in Jewish history.
A recent history of antisemitism in England regretfully observes that English philosemitism is "a past glory." This book may recall England – and not only England – to that past glory and inspire other countries to emulate it. It may also reaffirm Jews in their own faith and aspirations.
- GenresHistory
183 pages, Hardcover
First published November 8, 2011
About the author
Gertrude Himmelfarb
48 books41 followersGertrude Himmelfarb, also known as Bea Kristol, was an American historian. She was a leader and conservative interpretations of history and historiography. She wrote extensively on intellectual history, with a focus on Britain and the Victorian era, as well as on contemporary society and culture.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 29, 2016
Himmelfarb describes the history that spans the expulsion, return, growing tolerance for and eventual political enfranchisement of the Jewish people in England from 1290 until 1948. The book, as the author suggests, is more an essay than a history proper; and in some respects that is a pity. This is because aspects of this history require greater attention than they receive here. For example, the author never makes clear the full rationale for Oliver Cromwell's momentous decision to allow Jewish people to return to England following their earlier expulsion. What is more, some of the later sketches of particular philo-Semites are rather brief. Disraeli is present mostly because of his fiction, but I feel that more needed to be said to make his philosophical outlook clearer. George Eliot's extraordinary conversion to a proto-Zionism is probably the most egregious example of this fault in the book, but even Winston Churchill's support for the "Jewish homeland" in Palestine is summarized too quickly, shorn of any genuine consideration of that statesman's contemplation of this issue within the context of the great power rivalry of his time.
Most egregious of all, however, is the omission of the one subject that most contemporary readers may consider to be the most relevant to this unfinished history. Since I read the book while Israel was carrying out its three-week military campaign of sustained bombing of Gaza, with its horrendous costs in terms of civilian casualties, I could not help but reflect on its total lack of fellow feeling for the plight of the Palestinians. And yet it is not difficult to see that the arc of history that the author outlines here offers an extraordinary set of parallels with this other expelled people.
The Palestinians too deserve to return to their homeland. They deserve to receive political enfranchisement in a newly formed unified state that would welcome their economic, cultural and political contribution. That Himmelfarb cannot see this has everything to do with her Zionist outlook, which blinds her to the suffering of any people but those to whom she herself belongs.
Most egregious of all, however, is the omission of the one subject that most contemporary readers may consider to be the most relevant to this unfinished history. Since I read the book while Israel was carrying out its three-week military campaign of sustained bombing of Gaza, with its horrendous costs in terms of civilian casualties, I could not help but reflect on its total lack of fellow feeling for the plight of the Palestinians. And yet it is not difficult to see that the arc of history that the author outlines here offers an extraordinary set of parallels with this other expelled people.
The Palestinians too deserve to return to their homeland. They deserve to receive political enfranchisement in a newly formed unified state that would welcome their economic, cultural and political contribution. That Himmelfarb cannot see this has everything to do with her Zionist outlook, which blinds her to the suffering of any people but those to whom she herself belongs.
April 5, 2015
Unfortunately, it's unsurprising to find that a book about Philosemitism in England is going to be short (plus all the good bits happened a bit before Cromwell). Since this is a topic that interests me, I expected to devour this book, but it was a both a bit boring and lacking in detail, and I kept putting it down. The chapter on literature was interesting, but it would have been nice to have some more context. It would also have been nice to hear more about Churchill's complex relationship with Zionism. I suspect Himmelfarb has a lot more to say; it's a pity she didn't.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews