Jewish Contribution to English Law

Barrington Black

Description

Packed with insights into Jewish life, The Jewish Contribution to English Law tells why Jews were drawn to the law. Charting history to and since 1858 and describing how many excelled in legal roles the book introduces readers to Jewish judges, barristers, solicitors and lawyer politicians.

Sujets

• Jewish studies
• Legal history

Informations

• Publié par: Waterside Press
• Date de parution: 02 novembre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781914603044
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

The Jewish Contribution to English Law
Through 1858 to Modern Times
Barrington Black
Copyright and publication details
The Jewish Contribution to English Law: Through 1858 to Modern Times
Barrington Black
ISBN 978-1-914603-03-7 (Paperback)
ISBN 978-1-914603-04-4 (EPUB ebook)
ISBN 978-1-914603-05-1 (PDF ebook)
Copyright © 2021 This work is the copyright of Barrington Black. All intellectual property and associated rights are hereby asserted and reserved by the author in full compliance with UK, European and international law. No part of this book may be copied, reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers to whom all such rights have been assigned worldwide.
Cover design © 2021 Waterside Press.
Main UK distributor Gardners Books, 1 Whittle Drive, Eastbourne, BN23 6QH. Tel: [phone]; [e-mail] ; www.gardners.com
North American distribution Ingram Book Company, One Ingram Blvd, La Vergne, TN 37086, USA. Tel: [phone]; [e-mail]
Cataloguing In-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book can be obtained from the British Library.
Published 2021 by
Waterside Press Ltd
Sherfield Gables
Sherfield on Loddon, Hook
Hampshire RG27 0JG.
Telephone [phone]
Online catalogue WatersidePress.co.uk
Email [e-mail]
Table of Contents
Publisher’s note iv
Acknowledgements v
About the author viii
Dedication ix Introduction 11 The Attraction of the Law 19 Oaths and Vows 23 Early Days in England 29 The Laws of England Concerning Jews 43 Conversion and Return 59 ‘We May Give You the Laws, But … ’ 65 The First Jewish Lawyers 69 Bar and Bench 77 Into the Twentieth Century 101 Judicial Appointments High and Low 137 Jewish Lawyers in Politics 161 The Doors Were Open to All 171 Some Notable Jewish Solicitors 177
Epilogue 219
Selected Bibliography 222
Index 224
Publisher’s note
The views and opinions in this book are those of the author and not necessarily shared by the publisher. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this work readers should draw their own conclusions concerning the possibility of alternative views, accounts, descriptions or explanations.
The author has asked to make clear concerning explanations, assumptions and apologies that so far as historical events and people are concerned the passage of time decides what and who is important and worthy of memory and praise.
The more recent and present holder of office, or practitioner is more difficult to judge. For in his or her case the jury is still out. In fact the evidence has not all been heard.
‘I place myself in the position of juror for I can only write on the basis of those whom I have heard of, or know, through reputation or what I have read in reports and journals.
For this reason I emphasise that the lists of those whom I have described as notable is by no means comprehensive, and there will be those whom I may have unintentionally omitted, do not know about or have progressed and to whom I unreservedly apologise, for I do not derogate from their skills.
Equally, I have broken that important piece of advice “never assume.” There may be some instances where, because of name, either self or parental, place of birth and education I have made an assumption as to their Jewish connection. If I have done so incorrectly, then similarly I apologise.’
Acknowledgements
The Pandemic has been a serious and often tragic period for many, to whom my sympathy is extended. On the other hand, lockdown was an opportunity for comfortable solitude which should be cherished, and determined positively.
As part of my own ‘lockdown therapy’ I set about doing what many did, ‘clearing out.’ In my case this included the difficult task of deciding which of my many old books merited removal from my not inconsiderable library. Precisely none. In fact it was a case of being pleasantly nudged into reading some works for a second time. What is more, at a leisurely pace, picking-up on matters I’d skimmed over at first reading. Those authors with whom I renewed acquaintance and to whom I am particularly grateful include Cecil Roth, Elizabeth Pearl, Henry Henriques, John Luxon, Simon Schama, Chaim Bermant, Lord David Young, Lord Arnold Goodman, Sir Martin Gilbert and Frederick Morton.
I also came across various editions of the magazine of The Jewish Historical Society of England as well as the many notes I had made over probably 50 years of giving talks to groups and organizations. What resulted is this volume.
From the moment that I indicated my thoughts on a book arising from the 1858 Act I received nothing but encouragement from Bryan Gibson of my publishers Waterside Press. It went further, his own ideas for developing the theme by including a brief history of the oath, together with my own curiosity about Parliamentary Acts specific to religious minorities provided avenues to be explored.
Once my manuscript was complete and I’d submitted it to Bryan and his eagle eye went over it, I was grateful for the numerous matters he raised, which necessitated further examination and re-writing to satisfy editorial requirements.
My thanks are also due to Alex Gibson of Dived Up for his research and sourcing of the images.
I must also thank author Brian P Block JP BPharm PhD BA MA LLM MSc MPhil CBiol MIBiol who kindly read the book before it went to press and made a number of valuable last minute suggestions that I was able to incorporate into the text.
And a special thank you to Matthew Black for the photograph on page vii .
I hope that I have accomplished what I set out to do, though it would not have been possible without the co-operation of my wife Diana, who nudged me towards the necessities of life, such as daily exercise and sustenance and for this I am grateful. I should also, on her behalf, and mine, thank those who invented the iPad and Zoom, which together contributed to our peaceful domain.
Will life ever get back to normal?
Barrington Black
August 2021
The author.
The central theme of this book concerns judges and the ­judicial oath that they were barred from taking until ten years after the landmark Jewish Relief Act 1858.
Photo Matthew Black.
About the author
Barrington Black became one of the UK’s best-known criminal solicitors. The founder of a Leeds practice known as Barrington Black & Co, now amalgamated with various other practices and known as Black’s, he went on to serve as a Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate (district judge) then Circuit Judge, rounding-off his judicial career as a Supreme Court Justice in Gibraltar.
As a lawyer, the author appeared in many high-profile cases, including when he represented Donald Nielsen (‘The Black Panther’) on a charge of murder and kidnapping. A regular correspondent in the letter columns of The Times, Telegraph and Jewish Chronicle he contributed as legal expert to Yorkshire TV’s Calendar and BBC TV’s Look North .
A long-time resident of Harrogate, where he was a local councillor and Parliamentary candidate, he lives in North London with his wife Diana and they have four children and ten grandchildren. His autobiography Both Sides of the Bench was published in 2015.
Dedication
To the pioneers and those who continue to open doors to the law, the legal profession and the judiciary.
‘Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue’
Deuteronomy 16.20
The word ‘justice’ is repeated as an exhortation both to the judge and the litigant who should always speak the truth, and the repetition denotes whether it should be to their advantage or disadvantage. Even more important that they should seek a reliable tribunal to decide their case. This was the interpretation of Rashi (1040–1105).
Chapter 1
Introduction
I t would be easy if Jews could simply be divided into Ashkenazim or Sephardim , or even Orthodox and Secular, but it is not so easy. There are as many kinds of Jews as leaves on a tree. There are those who do everything that their fellow citizens do except eat pork or shellfish. There are those who do not eat pork or shellfish at home but might be tempted when ‘out,’ that is in a restaurant, to nibble on a schnitzel or pick out a prawn. There are those who would not eat even food permitted at home when out for fear of becoming desecrated by plates or cutlery that might, on some previous occasion, have hosted forbidden fruits de mer .
There are those who would eat at a friend’s house because they have implicit trust in their host not to harbour indiscretions. There are those who would not eat at a friend’s house despite promises of propriety. There are those who observe the laws on food but only visit the synagogue three days a year. There are those who only go there every Saturday, and those who go on Saturday plus three times a day for the rest of the week.
There are Jews who wear a hat only when they go to the synagogue, and those who wear a hat all the time, from awakening to sleeping. There are even those who wear two hats all the time and keep an extra hat by the side of the bed in case the other two have fallen off and they dream they are in a synagogue. There are those who love Israel and go there to visit the Hilton and the opera, and those who hate the State but love The Wall and post a note there. Each one of these, if asked, would say, ‘Yes, I am a Jew.’
The question for the purposes of this book is, ‘Although they may say they are Jews, what is their status in the eyes of others?’ In the eyes of the Nazi party in Germany from the 1930s onwards it was not just a simple question of what people ate or didn’t eat, nor of whether they had ever taken a footstep inside a synagogue. It was down to their blood. Did they have any Jewish blood coursing through their veins? In fact, such a question arose well before the Nazis came to power. Before 1875 there w