Preface Vol 25

<plain_text><page sequence="1">Preface The Publications Committee has pleasure in presenting to the members of the Jewish Historical Society of England Volume XXV of the Society's Transactions and Part X of the Miscellanies. Volume XXIV was issued in 1975 and it was hoped to offer XXV earlier in 1976, but certain technicalities in some of the copy, especially concerning lists, took longer to resolve than expected, especially in the case of two contributions by authors who, we are sorry to record, died some time ago?namely, Mr. G. D. Guttentag, of Newcastle, and the Rev. Morris Rosenbaum. The latter's provisional list of English Freemasons is therefore prefixed by an editorial note. PUBLICATIONS In the past session the Society, while active in its normal business of delivering papers on a variety of interesting topics, has had to proceed with caution with its publishing programme. The Preface in the previous volume recorded a more than usually large number of publica? tions, as several works came to fruition all at about the same time and some of those had the benefit of generous subsidies at a time when costs had not escalated with the same rapidity as now. No one now needs to be reminded in the tighter economic situation of the soaring costs of, for example, paper and printing. Since the last volume of Transactions, the following has been distributed: The Treaty of Utrecht 1713 and the Jews of Gibraltar, by Sir Joshua Hassan, C.B.E., M.V.O., Q.C. The Society joined with the Council of Manchester and Salford Jews in sponsoring the publication of The making of Manchester Jewry 1740-1875, by Bill Williams, published by the Manchester University Press (1976), and was represented by its President, Mr. Raphael Loewe, and other members of the Council at a gathering at the Manchester Polytechnic to launch the book. This important historical and sociological study was made available at a special pre-publication price to members of the Society. A number of photocopies of tables forming part of Mahler's Handbuch der j?dischen Chrono? logie (1909, but long out of print), under the title ofCorrespondence Table of Jewish and Christian dates, 1600-1900, with an explanatory foreword by R. D. Barnett, were prepared free for researchers through the generosity of Mr. Alfred Rubens. Copies may be applied for. Related to the centenary celebration in 1970 of the founding of the United Synagogue of London, in which a series of lectures was delivered by members of the Society in collab? oration with the synagogal body, the book The History of the United Synagogue, by Dr. Aubrey Newman (book notes editor of Transactions and Miscellanies), is, at the time of writing this Preface, on the point of publication, and here, too, arrangements are being made to provide members of this Society with copies of the history at a special pre-publication price. FORTHCOMING WORKS Some material is already in hand for Volume XXVI of Transactions and Part XI of Miscel? lanies. The promised Cumulative Index to Transactions I-XX is still in preparation, having suffered some unforeseen delays. The chief cause is the highly regretted sudden death of the compiler, Mr. Philip Wright, in a traffic accident. The original compilation was confined to Volumes I-XX of Transactions, but, especially because of a precedent, it was felt that it should be completed by the inclusion of Miscellanies I-VI. The precedent lies in the short Index to Transactions I-XIV and Miscellanies I-IV compiled by the late Albert Hyamson and published in 1955. It is important to make the new volume fuller and to take it up to Miscel? lanies VI for two special reasons: that Miscel? lanies VI is the last independent volume before Miscellanies was, for economic and administra? tive reasons, incorporated into Transactions? the present practice of combining the two began xi</page><page sequence="2">Xll Preface with Transactions XXII and Miscellanies VII in one cover; and secondly, for a reason unknown to the present occupants of office, Miscellanies VI, very unusually for this Society, had no Index. Mr. Wright had been able to insert the entries for Miscellanies I-V, but not VI, which is now being undertaken by another hand. Transcription of manuscripts at the Public Record Office by Mr. P. Brand, for Volume V of the series of Plea Rolls of the Exchequer of the Jews is going forward. It was thought that this would complete the series, but there have been further, and welcome, discoveries of material on the history of the Jews in medieval England, on which scholars are working. These dis? coveries are likely to generate more volumes. Miss Ruth Lehmann (now Mrs. Lehmann Goldschmidt), whose two volumes on Anglo Jewish Bibliography have been published by the Society, has prepared preliminary material for another volume, but as she now lives in Israel, her work is being assisted here by certain other scholars and librarians. PROBLEM OF FUNDS Publication of the volumes mentioned above, and of others in contemplation, rests more than ever on the prospect of sufficient funds, and the Society renews its appeal to well-wishers for special support in this respect. It might be remarked here that, in common with all other producers of books, the Society has been com? pelled to revise upwards the prices of its publications, and an up-to-date list can be obtained on application to the Secretary. The Society is especially grateful this year for their support of publication funds to Mrs. R. Guttentag and family, of Newcastle; Mr. Alex M.Jacob; the Cecil Roth Trust; and the Barnet and District Synagogue. PERSONALIA Mr. Raphael Loewe, M.C., succeeded Judge Israel Finestein, Q.C., as President of the Society for 1975-1976, and was re-elected for the further session of 1976-1977. Mr. Ernest Ettinghausen, former Honorary Secretary, and Mr. Walter Schwab, a former Honorary Editor of publications, were elected additional Vice-Presidents of the Society. Mr. Ettinghausen has been succeeded as Hon. Secretary by Dr. Jonathan Israel. This volume, XXV, has, at the unanimous wish of the Publications Committee, been dedicated to the memory of Harry Sacher, prominent as lawyer, writer, and business man, who was a member of the Council for very many years and a generous supporter of the Society. Besides Philip Wright, mentioned above, who compiled several Indexes to the Society's Transactions, we regretfully record the deaths of, among others, since our last volume appeared, H. G. Richardson, Honorary Member, former member of the Council, author of The English Jewry under Angevin Kings, and editor of the Society's Exchequer of the Jews, Vol. IV (1972); and Harry Samuels, O.B.E., barrister, legal writer, and also a member of the Council for a great number of years. BRANCHES IN PROVINCES Increasing interest has been shown lately in local Jewish history in the Provinces, and a highly successful conference held by the Society in London in July 1975, with Dr. Aubrey Newman as Convenor, drew a large attendance of participants from all over the country; a report appears in this volume. Branches of the Jewish Historical Society have been established in Birmingham, Manchester, and most recently Liverpool, all with lively programmes of lectures, given by historians and other scholars to large audiences. In Birmingham (founded in 1970), the Chairman is Dr. Anthony P. Joseph, Secretary Mr. P. R. Lesser, and Treasurer Mr C. Drap kin. In Manchester (founded 1974) the branch is headed by Mr. Walter Wolfson, Chairman, and Mr. Marcel Glaskie, Membership Secretary. The Liverpool branch was founded this year (1976), with Mr. F. Elter as acting Chairman, Mr. Ian I. Rabinowitz Treasurer, Mrs. Elajne Goldman Secretary, and Dr. Cyril Hershon Director of Research; Mr. K. L. Abrahams is</page><page sequence="3">Preface Xlll dealing with communal archives, deputed by the Merseyside Jewish Representative Council. Branches in other cities are in prospect. A successful conference on research possi? bilities in London and the Provinces was held in March 1976 at University College London. The same College was to be the venue of a small exhibition late in the year to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Mocatta Library becoming part of the College. MEETINGS The following is a list of meetings held by the Society in London since those detailed in Volume XXIV: 1974 16 October (annual general meeting). Judge Israel Finestein, M.A. Q.C.?Morris Jacob Raphall: a Mendelssohnian in England (1825 1849). 13 November. Mrs. Zoe Josephs, B.A.? Some Jewish glass and glassmakers. (Mr. Derek Keene and Mr. Raphael Loewe also reported on the discovery of a token with a Hebrew inscription in Winchester.) 11 December. Alex Keller, Ph.D.?E. Mendes da Costa, 18th-century Jewish scientist. 1975 8 January. Dr. Aubrey Newman, D.Phil., F.R.Hist.S.?Sir Israel Hart of Leicester. 12 February. Mrs. Mary Lazarus (of Australia. Read by Dr. E. S. Conway)?Moses Angel, head of the Jews* Free School. 12 March. A. L. Shane?Judah Leon Templo. 9 April (Weizmann centenary). Professor Chimen Abramsky?Weizmann: a new type of leadership in the Zionist Movement. 7 May. Abraham J. Marks?The Jews of Aden. 4 June. John M. Shaftesley, O.B.E., B.A.? Jews in regular English Freemasonry 1717-1860. 2 July. E. F. Croft-Murray, C.B.E., F.S.A.? Judith Levy's house at Maids of Honour Row, Richmond. 8 October (annual general meeting). Raphael Loewe, M.C., M.A.? The ethos of the Resettlement. 6 November. Professor Shlomo Morag?The Genizah material: its importance for Jewish and general scholarship. 10 December. Henry J. Cohn, M.A., D.Phil., F.R.Hist.S.?Progressive Jews and Zionism in England until 1948. 1976 14 January. Rabbi David J. Zucker, M.A.? Shabbetai Zev^ 1626-1676: on the tercentenary of his death. 10 March. Richard D. Barnett, C.B.E., Litt.D., F.B.A., F.S.A.?Diplomatic aspects of Sephardi refugees from Portugal in the early eighteenth century. 7 April. Mrs. Miriam Steiner, M.A.? The Manchester Jewish Board of Guardians 1867-1914. 12 May. Professor Theodore K. Rabb?First steps in the return of the Jews to England: Hooker, Sandys, and the mental revolution of the 1590s. 16 June. Edgar R. Samuel, B.A., F.R.Hist.S. ?London Jews and the rough diamond trade in the late seventeenth century. 7 July. R. Barrie Dobson, M.A., D.Phil.? The decline of the medieval Jewish community at York. John M. Shaftesley, August 1976. Editor.</page></plain_text>