jewish

• JEWISH : POSITIVES

  • Jews developed their own communities and built synagogues to worship in, for example in South Portland Street in Glasgow. There were also Jewish reading rooms.
  • Jewish communities established their own loan societies to help start businesses.
  • Jews continued to speak Yiddish within own community and published their own newspapers.
• JEWISH : POSITIVES

  • Many Jewish immigrants were safer in Scotland and were free from religious persecution and pogroms.
  • Jews were generally welcomed by Scots as they did not compete for Scots jobs.
• JEWISH : NEGATIVES

  • Some Jewish people involved in tailoring and the tobacco industry became relatively wealthy. This resulted in some ill-feeling and anti-Semitism towards Jewish people, who were accused of undercutting prices and ‘sweating’ (making employees in the clothes industry work long hours for little pay).
  • Trade unions complained and opposed immigration as a result of the poor treatment of workers.
• JEWISH : NEGATIVES

  • Jewish people generally lived separately and avoided mixing with other communities, which contributed to anti-Semitism and suspicion of Jews.
  • Prejudice and discrimination affected Jews as it did in many European countries, but anti-Jewish groups made little progress in Scotland.