Holocaust and Rescue: Impotent or Indifferent? Anglo-Jewry 1938–1945

336 Pages·2002·4.13 MB·English

by  Pamela Shatzkes (auth.)

Holocaust and Rescue
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Holocaust and Rescue

Impotent or Indiferent?

Anglo-Jewry 1938-1945

Pamela Shatzkes
Department of International History
London School of Economics and Political Science
© Pamela Shatzkes 2002
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2002 978-0-333-96039-4
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Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2002 by
PALGRAVE
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Companies and representatives throughout the world
PALGRAVE is the new global academic imprint of
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ISBN 978-1-349-42711-6 ISBN 978-0-230-59841-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230598416
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A catalogue record for this book is available
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Shatzkes, Pamela, 1949-
Holocaust and rescue: impotent or indifferent? : Anglo-Jewry
1938-1945 / Pamela Shatzkes.
p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.

ISBN 978-1-349-42711-
6
1. Jews-Great Britain-Attitudes. 2. Jews-Great Britain-
Politics and government-20th century. 3. World War,
1939-1945-Jews-Rescue-Great Britain. 4. Holocaust, Jewish
(1939-1945)-Public opinion. 5. Public opinion-Great Britain.
I. Title.
DS135.E5 S5 2002
940.53'18-dc21 2001056116
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02
For my father

Harry David Greenman (1904-1984)
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Contents

List of Figures viii

Abbreviations x

Preface xi

Introduction 1

1 'Englishmen of the Jewish Persuasion' 9

2 'The Jewish Lions are no longer roaring' 25

3 Escalating Crises: Austria and Czechoslovakia 1938-1939 45

4 The Watershed: Kristallnacht and After 65

5 Internment and Deportation 83

6 Anglo-Jewry Mobilises (Summer 1942-Spring 1943) 100

7 Pawns in the Game of War (Summer 1943-Autumn

1944) 134

8 Rescue Eforts: A Chronicle of Failure? 163

9 Relief Eforts: A Chronicle of Success? 188

Conclusion: Lack of Will or Lack of Skill? 216

Notes 240

Bibliography 289

Index 305

vii
List of Figures

1 Neville Laski, President of the Board of Deputies,
1933-39 (courtesy of the Board of Deputies) 29
2 Otto Schif, Chairman of the Jewish Refugees
Committee, 1933-49 (courtesy of the Jewish Chronicle) 50
3 Viscount Herbert Samuel (courtesy of World Jewish
Relief) 68
4 Refugee children from Vienna, 1938 (courtesy of the
Wiener Library) 70
5 Kindertransport. Refugee children arriving in England,
1938/9 (courtesy of World Jewish Relief) 72
6 Women aliens and a child with police escorts
departing for the Isle of Man internment camp,
May 1940 (courtesy of the Imperial War Museum) 86
7 Internment camp for aliens, 1940 (courtesy of Hulton
Archives) 88
8 Members of the War Cabinet and Ministers (courtesy
of Hulton Archives) 108
9 Selig Brodestsky, President of the Board of Deputies,
1939-49 (courtesy of the Board of Deputies) 111
10 Adolf Brotman, General Secretary of the Board of
Deputies, 1934-66 (courtesy of the Board of Deputies) 113
11 Eleanor Rathbone, 1872-1946 (courtesy of the
University of Liverpool) 121
12 Bermuda Conference delegates, April 1943 (courtesy
of Associated Press) 128
13 The Chief Rabbi, Dr. Joseph Hertz, 8 January 1944
(courtesy of Hulton Archives) 142
14 Delegates to the War Emergency Conference of the
World Jewish Congress, Atlantic City, 1944 (courtesy
of Beth Hatefutsoth) 148
15 Harry Goodman, date unknown (courtesy of
Celia Goodman) 182
16 Chief Rabbi's Food Packets Appeal Campaign, 1943
(courtesy of Jonathan Schonfeld) 206
17 Mobile synagogue/ambulance with volunteers, c. 1944
(courtesy of Jonathan Schonfeld) 208
viii
List of Figures ix
18 Solomon Schonfeld, 1944
(courtesy of Jonathan Schonfeld) 210
19 The frst team of the Jewish Relief Units, 1944
(courtesy of the Wiener Library) 213