Victorian Jews Through British Eyes

When QueenVictoria came to the throne in 1837, Britain was home to only 30,000 Jews andthey did not yet have full political rights. By the end of the century theirnumbers had increased about sevenfold, and practising Jews had taken theirplaces in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Victoria’s reigntherefore saw a tremendous change in the profile of Jews within British society. The Victorianperiod was also one of economic transition for British Jews. While initially ina narrow range