The religious and cultural distinctiveness of the Middlesbrough Jewish Community

The early members of the Middlesbrough Jewish Community were strictly orthodox in their religious observation.(1) The majority of first generation English-born Jews were in essence also strictly orthodox, although outside pressures could sometimes interfere with their strict religious observation.(2) One interviewee recalls:

"It should be noted religious observation within the Jewish community has changed with the times. We can’t maintain the strict levels because of outside pressures."(3)

The outside pressures would include the need to work or, as in one interviewee’s case, because he was an evacuee in the Second World War.(4)

The synagogue was, for all members of the Middlesbrough Jewish Community, the main place to practise their religious observation, as one interviewee pointed out:

"Well, one was suppose to practise at home, but the synagogue was the main place, just as the church would have been the main place."(5)

Lloyd P Gartner’s argument that Jewish children would attend Christian schools for their general education but not for their religious education was correct of the Jewish children of Middlesbrough.(6) The synagogue did have a Cheder where the children were taught the Jewish faith and the Hebrew language necessary for prayer. (7)

One interviewee remembers:

"My religious education was conducted outside of normal school time, both after school and Sunday mornings in the school room of the synagogue."(8)

The interviewees were all forthright in answering questions concerning their religious observation. Their liberal attitude in answering the questions suggests that many Jewish people had made attempts to prevent any intolerant feelings towards their religion from the Gentile population. Evidence suggests that this liberal approach to their religious observation was not confined to the interviewees. There is every indication the Middlesbrough Jewish Community has always been forthright in these matters.

The Mayor of Middlesbrough, Civic dignitaries and Christian clergymen were invited members of the congregation attending the official opening of the Brentnall Street Synagogue on 26th June 1874.(9) Rabbi Louis Miller, the Middlesbrough Jewish Community’s spiritual leader from 1929 to 1952 did mix freely with the Christian clergy and lecture in their churches and institutions. He became highly respected by the Christians and their ministers thereby encouraging a bond of friendship between Jews and Gentiles.(10)

The synagogue was the foremost place for the religious observation of the members of the Middlesbrough Jewish Community as argued by Lloyd P Gartner.(11) It was not only in the synagogue that the members of the community practiced their religious observation, the home was equally important. One interviewee discloses:

"The synagogue was the main place for my religious observation, but the home was very important for saying your prayers morning and night and celebrating the Sabbath." (12)

It was within the home that the Jewish people were able to maintain some aspects of their religious and. cultural distinctiveness. One of the religious customs of the Jewish people is their dietary laws which includes the consuming of meat where the animal have been slaughtered with Shechita regulations.(13) There was not a Jewish butcher in Middlesbrough in the period covered by this dissertation, as one interviewee recalls:

"There was no Jewish butcher in Middlesbrough, but a Gentile butcher by the name of Bradley; his shop was in Harris Street, had a Jewish counter. The Jewish supervisor would visit from time to time to check the meat."(14)

The buying and selling of Kosher meat in a Gentile butcher shop suggests there was little or no intolerance towards this Jewish custom in Middlesbrough.(15)

Th e need to preserve their religion appears to be one reason why very few Jews married. Gentiles in Middlesbroiagh, although this does not suggest the Jewish people were against mixed marriages. One interviewee, when asked if he was married to a Jew and if he thought it was important for Jews to only marry Jews disclosed:

‘Yes, I am married and my wife is Jewish. Is it important that Jews should only marry Jews?...my wife is Jewish... and I don’t consider it important for Jews to marry Jews, because otherwise we would never get to know each other and there would be a distinct wall between us, everybody else, obviously there must be. It might be important for orthodox Jews just to marry Jews as it would be for orthodox Catholics, I dare say, but its important to a percentage, lets keep it at that.’(16)

The evidence indicates the majority of the members of the Middlesbrough Jewish Community did maintain their religious distinctiveness, but did they also maintain their cultural distinctiveness?

Jewish people have always been praised for their strong sense of kinship, both within the family, their community and towards Jews of other nationalities.(17) One indicator of kinship is the respect shown to ones’ parents.(18) When asked if respect for ones’ parents was very important within the Jewish family, one interviewee remembers:

"Its the Jewish character, we always have looked up to our parents, we do. It might have changed because after the war years, but before the war years, I mean it was an accepted fact that Jewish parents were...we were very respectful to our parents, maybe the war has changed lots of things, like it has done with everyone, cause I would not say we were different to anybody else."(19)

It has been suggested that within Jewish marriages there was a high level of marital fidelity, was this true of Jewish couples in Middlesbrough.(20) One interviewee recalls:

"I have known some divorces within the community, but it was true overall there was a high level of marital fidelity among Jewish couples."(21)

Another interviewee suggests the reason why there was high levels of marital fidelity among Jewish couples, he argued:

"I think we are mainly family orientated, I think family orientated would make it true overall."(22)

Many of the Jewish religious festivals were important family occasions, as one interviwee remembers:

"The forthcoming Festival of the Passover always was an important family occasion which after getting married we would still celebrate with our parents, we now go to our daughter’s home for it."(23)

The Middlesbrough Jewish Community’s sense of kinship extended outside their own families and community. With the tragic events in Europe in the 1930’s(24) very few Jewish immigrants who entered England came to Middlesbrough, as one interviewee recalls:

"Very few Jews came to Middlesbrough in the 1930’s, those that did adapted very well into the oommunity."(25)

While asking another interviewee if there had been any Jewish immigrants entering Middlesbrough in the 1930’s she indicated there had been a strong sense of kinship within the Middlesbrough Jewish Community for the plight of the German Jews. She remembers:

"Three synagogue officials went over to Germany and rescued a group of German Jewish girl refugees before it was too late. The girls were looked after in a hostel in Middlesbrough until they could provide for themselves. Eventually they all left Middlesbrough." (26)

Evidence indicates the majority of the members of the Middlesbrough Jewish Community had become assimilated into the English way of life without loosing their religious and cultural distinctiveness. When asked how the Middlesbrough Jewish Community was able to maintain its religious and cultural distinctiveness, one interviewee recalls:

"We were taught as children and when we were growing up."(27)

V D Lipman was correct in his argument that although the Jewish people were becoming assimilated into the English way of life, it did not imply they would not maintain their religious distinctiveness. (2Because they did maintain their religious and culture while assimilating into English life, with very little evidence of intolerance it could be argued the Jewish people in Middlesbrough had. a near perfect Anglo-Jewish id. Tony Kushner’s argument that Jewish people are not permitted to have a positive Anglo-Jewish identity does not seem correct in the Middlesbrough Jewish community.(29)