An unorthodox history : British Jews since 1945

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Schaffer, Gavin.

Language:

English

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Place of Publication:

Manchester University Press 2025

Summary:

A bold, new history of British Jewish life since the Second World War. Historian Gavin Schaffer wrestles Jewish history away from the question of what others have thought about Jews, focusing instead on the experiences of Jewish people themselves. Exploring the complexities of inclusion and exclusion, he shines a light on groups that have been marginalised within Jewish history and culture, such as queer Jews, Jews married to non-Jews, Israel-critical Jews and even Messianic Jews, while offering a fresh look at Jewish activism, Jewish religiosity and Zionism. Weaving these stories together, Schaffer argues that there are good reasons to consider Jewish Britons as a unitary whole, even as debates rage about who is entitled to call themselves a Jew. Challenging the idea that British Jewish life is in terminal decline, An unorthodox history demonstrates that Jewish Britain is thriving and that Jewishness is deeply embedded in the country's history and culture.

Contents:

Front Matter

Dedication

Contents

Introduction

1 The last Jew of Merthyr and other bubbe meises

2 Meshuga frum? Devotion and division in religious practice

3 ‘We speak for them’

4 ‘These wicked sons’

5 Oi vay – I’m Jewish and gay

6 The (un)forgivable sin

7 The nice Jewish boy (who believes in Jesus)

8 The last outpost of the British Empire

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

Figures

Abbreviations

Notes

Select bibliography

Index

Plates

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781526182104

1526182106

OCLC:

1500765828