🟢| Unit 2 - Jews

Question 1

Points

6

Answer 1

• Gorbals
• Sweat Shops
• Anti-Semitism
• Tobacco
• Synagogues
• Medicine

Question 2

Gorbals

Answer 2

• Jewish Immigrants tended to live as communities in the gorbals, and by 1919 over 9000 Jews lived in Glasgow with the majority being in the gorbals.
• This made their experience positive as they had access to cheap lodgings and could maintain their identity in ways such as speaking their native language of Yiddish.

Question 3

Sweat Shops

Answer 3

• An abundance of Jewish shops, like bakers and tailors, led to Scots accusing Jews of paying low wages and operating sweat shops.
• This made their experience negative because Jews were associated with this type of labour and it was een as an immigrant problem when it wasn’t, which also affected trade union member wages.

Question 4

Anti-Semitism

Answer 4

• Resentment for Jewish Immigrants grew, and newspapers became involved in this such as The Daily Record and Mail in 1909 with the headline “Alien Danger: Immigrants Infected with Loathsome Disease”
• This made their experience negative because reported anti-semitism made tensions rise between Scots and Jews, which damaged their prospects in areas like housing.

Question 5

Tobacco

Answer 5

• The Imperial Tobacco Company in Glasgow recruited German and Polish Jews which made this a common job for them, and success from their production attracted other tobacco manufacturers to Glasgow.
• This made their experience positive as the growth of the industry due to their contributions meant that their employment continued, ensuring more financial security.

Question 6

Synagogues

Answer 6

• As the Jewish population developed into its own community in Scotland they began to build their own Synagogues, an example being the Portland Street Synagogue in Glasgow which cost £9000 to build.
• This made their experience positive because this gave Jews their own place of worship which allowed them to stay in touch with their religious identity in a country that was heavily Protestant.

Question 7

Medicine

Answer 7

• Jews began making significant impacts on the legal and medical fields by 1939, an example being in Glasgow where Jewish students studied medicine at university.
• This made their experience positive as joining these professions meant that these Jews could afford to move from the gorbals to middle class and affluent areas of Glasgow.