Oldal 130 [130]
128
Anna M. Rosner
German Jewish Migrations to Great Britain
1933-1939: Remarks on Cultural Otherness
In the eighteenth century, Great Britain became one of the most attractive migra¬
tion destinations for the European Jewry. It is estimated that by the end of the
nineteenth century approximately a quarter of a million Jewish immigrants had
arrived in its cities—later some carried on their journey across the Atlantic Ocean,
while others stayed and settled, slowly joining and changing British society.! The
outbreak of WWI put an end to one of the largest Jewish migrations of the modern
era.
During the interwar period, the patterns of Jewish migration to Great Britain
changed according to modifications introduced to laws and regulations on the mi¬
grations themselves, as well as according to Jewish settlement across the European
continent. One thing though remained unchanged—the perception of Great Brit¬
ain among the oppressed residents of Europe. The British Isles appeared to them
not only as a gateway for onward travel to America, but also as a place offering
shelter. A moderate political scene that rejected radicalism together with support
for nationalistic ideology among the British seemed to guarantee continuity of at¬
titudes and approach towards the refuges among both the citizens and the political
establishment. For people living in countries that introduced racist restrictions,
these factors increased the attraction of the British Isles as a migration destination.
Although Great Britain has played an important role in the whole of Jewish
migrations for two centuries, during the interwar period it was not the place of first
choice for many Jews. Countries bordering Germany—such as the Netherlands,
France and Czechoslovakia—were chosen more frequently. There were several rea¬
sons for this, key among them was being close to family members and friends left
behind. Smaller distances meant smaller travel expenses for those visiting and for
family members of those who already emigrated willing to rejoin their families in
a new place of residence. The new places were also commonly chosen with one
particular condition in mind—the presence of active and large Jewish communities
in the migration destination. Certainly that condition did not matter as much to
the assimilated Jews, but for those more pious and traditional, being able to move
from one community to another was crucial. The existence of such communities
guaranteed acceptance in a familiar environment with fewer cultural differences.
' Numbers of those who stayed and those who chose to migrate onwards can only be estimated as we
lack reliable data.