7. Great Yiddish Parade Flashcards
1
Q
Key dates
A
- 1889, Jewish tailors went on strike
- 1905, The Aliens Act restricted immigration for the first time
- 1936, Fascist Blackshirts were stopped from marching through the East End
2
Q
The British Brothers League
A
- Founded in East London in 1900
- Accused Jewish immigrants of putting up rents, taking jobs and forcing down wages
- Recruited members from the local Irish community and their rally on Mile End Road in January 1902 attracted 4,000 marchers
3
Q
Describe the divide between the Anglo-Jews and the new Jewish arrivals
A
- There were deep divided between the new arrivals and some settled Anglo-Jews who were uncomfortable about the influx and wanted to restrict the numbers arriving
- There were also fundamental religious and political divisions
- Socialist and Communist ideas, often led by Jews, were spreading in Russia in opposition to the monarchy, and many Jews arrived from there already politically active
4
Q
Berner Street radicals’
A
Aimed to end the social injustice affecting all the London working class
5
Q
The Great Yiddish Parade
A
- In March 1889, unemployed workers and ‘sweaters’ victims’ marched to the Great Synagogue in Aldgate
- To demand that the Chief Rabbi speak against the employers’ treatment of workers
- When they arrived the Chief Rabbi was not there and he denied that he had ever agreed to speak on that day
- The Chief Rabbi refused to denounce the employers
6
Q
Why did the Chief Rabbi refuse to make a speech at the Great Yiddish Parade?
A
- Anglo-Jews did not want another wave of anti-immigrant feeling
- They also did not want to annoy the English establishment
7
Q
Why did the dockers agree to help the Jewish strikers?
A
Although they did not like them, they understood that working as a collective to demand better conditions and pay for workers was beneficial to everyone
8
Q
What were the demands of the striking Jewish garment workers?
A
- That the hours be reduced to twelve, with an interval of one hour for dinner and half and hour for tea
- All meals to be had off the premises
- Government contractors to pay wages at trade union rates
- Government contractors and sweaters not to give work home at night after working hours