The House has held a Backbench Business Debate to call for a British Jewish History Month.
British Jews hold an important place in contemporary Britain, and I am passionate that the contributions they have made to the Britain we experience today should be recognised and taught, and so despite not being able to attend the debate, I would like to highlight some of Hartlepool’s Jewish history in support of a British Jewish History Month.
This topic is particularly pertinent today, where I am sickened to learn that the Community Security Trust, a charity which monitors antisemitism across the country, has reported a 500% increase in antisemitic incidents following the Hamas attacks on the 7th of October.
Throughout history, British Jews have encountered hardship in the face of prejudice. This includes the expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290, which is a cause of deep shame. A continued engagement with history is vital as it helps give context for the present.
Lack of representation, media portrayal, and difficulty accessing education can lead to stereotypes forming, which I have witnessed in content being shared across social media platforms, and distressingly between many young people.
In honour of raising awareness towards our British Jewish communities and celebrating their achievements, I would like to share a brief history of the British Jewish community in my constituency of Hartlepool.
Hartlepool’s history shows great compassion towards our Jewish neighbours, notably in 1882, when a group of over 200 adults and 85 children were landed in West Hartlepool as Jewish refugees from Brody, which today is in western Ukraine.
Despite the Jewish community in Hartlepool diminishing around the 1960s, their legacy remains visible in the town.
The Jewish community in West Hartlepool dated from around 1851 and in the 1860s the first congregation was established, their first place of worship was in a room over a stable. By 1871 the community had progressed sufficiently to be able to build a specially designed synagogue which was consecrated by the Chief Rabbi in West Hartlepool. It had also a minister of its own, Rev. Alexander Tertis.
Those who lived in Old Hartlepool travelled to the synagogue by ferry, which they paid for in advance of Shabbat.
Hartlepool also has notable Jewish political figures. Aldermen Ernest Bloom and Marcus Bloom were brothers who both served as Mayors of West Hartlepool in the 1940s. Marcus was also one of Kitchener’s first 10,000 volunteers and became a Corporal in the Royal Army Medical Corps in WW1. Their mother Mrs Bloom received a letter from the King in 1915 for having five sons in the army.
A Northern Daily Mail article on the letter stated ‘the splendid manner in which members of the Jewish Community in Hartlepool have enlisted in the forces of the Crown, and which I have had the honour of having had submitted to the notice of His Majesty the King’.
96 Jews from Teesside fought alongside British Army in the Second World War. We should never forget the sacrifices they have made for our country and I believe a British Jewish History month would be a fitting way to continue to pay tribute to their enormous contribution today.