Book Notes: The Jewish Heritage in British History: Englishness and Jewishness, Tony Kushner (ed.)

<plain_text><page sequence="1">The Jewish Heritage in British History: Englishness and Jewishness. Edited by Tony Kushner (Frank Cass, London 1992) 234 pp. ?25 (cloth); ?12.50 (paperback). These ten essays, and the particularly valuable 'Directory of Jewish Historical and Heritage Resources in the United Kingdom' that follows them, should be read by every member of the Society concerned for the future of Anglo-Jewish history. 'Anglo-Jewish historiography', Dr Kushner jusdy remarks in his Introduc 277</page><page sequence="2">Book Notes tion, 'has come of age'. The indifference responsible for so many grievous losses from our heritage (be it documentary or architectural) is no longer tolerable. In its place has emerged the demand that as much as possible of our collective past should be conserved professionally. A heightened sensitivity is equally apparent in the critical studies of earlier historiography. Invidious as it might be considered to single out any essay for attention, Colin Richmond's 'Englishness and Medieval Anglo-Jewry' strikes at least one non-medievalist as an almost exemplary explora? tion of the assumptions of previous generations of English historians. It must be hoped that the contributors will eventually develop their themes more fully. Meanwhile this is a book to buy, and to keep. Malcolm Brown</page></plain_text>