Preface Vol 27

<plain_text><page sequence="1">Preface The appearance of the present volume has been inescapably delayed, much to the regret of the Publications Committee and of the Society as a whole, by the protracted illness and eventual death of our distinguished Editor. This subject is more fittingly dealt with on another page. However, the temporary editorial arrangement devised to carry through the publication of this volume in his honour, which the recipient of the honour himself could hardly be expected to edit, has proved an invaluable lifeline to carry on the publication and its tradition without interruption. Dr Aubrey New? man kindly undertook to edit this number, ori? ginally to be published with a dedication to Mr Shaftesley, while Mr Jeremy Schonfield (who has experience in the field of publishing and printing) has most fortunately proved available to take on the task of Assistant Editor for this present number. It is to be hoped that his association with this series will prove to be of a lasting character. Other Publications Chief Rabbi Sir I. Jakobovits' lecture, delivered on 16 May 1979, is being printed as a separate pamphlet, and will be very shortly in the hands of members. It was stated in the Preface to Transactions XXVI that the Cumulative Index to Transactions I-XX and Miscellanies I-VI was nearly ready for printing. Unfortunately, again owing to the ill-health of Mr Shaftesley, this statement failed to be substantiated. Meanwhile, so long had the delay grown between promise and performance, and so many years slipped by, that the Executive and Council felt that it would be better to extend the Index by five volumes to bring it up to include Vol. XXV, and thereby increase its usefulness by a relatively small addi? tional effort. The task, alas, was left still unfinished by Mr Shaftesley (a most enthusiastic indexer when in good health) and has been taken over by Mr Walter Schwab, himself a former Honorary Editor. It is hoped to have it in members' hands early in 1982. Our late Editor reported that he had received a firm promise of a generous grant from an anonymous friend towards the cost of typing out the Index for publication. Unfortunately, the secret of the source of this donation died with him. If any reader, seeing these lines, should chance to know it and would kindly inform us in confidence of the answer, we would be most grateful. Copy is already being considered for publication in Transactions XXVlll-Miscellanies XIV. Publication of two further volumes of medieval Plea Rolls - the Exchequer of the Jews V and VI - was also mentioned in our last Preface as forming part of the Society's present programme, and this is being steadily pressed forward. As members of this Society know, in medieval times the Jews were the king's property and their financial transactions were recorded officially in minute detail. These records thus give us many invaluable insights into med? ieval Anglo-Jewry and its life, as well as information of more general historical interest. The late Sir Hilary Jenkinson, Deputy Keeper of the Public Records Office (where these records are preserved), in his Presidential address to this Society in 1955 (Transactions XVIII), made a stirring appeal to us to complete the publication of this series, which was begun as long ago as 1902. The present two volumes will take us almost to the end of that journey, in fact to the year 1281 - only eleven years away from the final Expulsion of 1292. Needless to say, as they approached this sad date the informa? tion they contain becomes of ever-greater interest to the historian of medieval Anglo-Jewry and its fate. Discussions are taking place with the Seiden Society on a possible joint publication at least of Vol. V (Dr Sarah Cohen's volume: see Preface, Transac? tions JHSE XXVI p.ix), while the translation and typing out on a word-processor of Vol. VI - transcribed by Mr Paul Brand - continues under the supervision of Professor Albert Kiralfy (Emeritus Professor of Law at King's College), and Miss Roberta Routledge, for whose help we are most grateful. A generous grant of ?1000 towards the cost of publication of Vol. V has been received from the Sherman Trust. Personalia Dr Aubrey Newman DPhil, FRHists (Lecturer in X</page><page sequence="2">Preface xi Modern History at Leicester University) was elected President of the Society for session 1978-9. On relinquishing the presidency he was elected a Vice-President. Professor Elie Kedourie fba (Profes? sor of Politics at the London School of Economics) was elected President of the Society for the session 1979- 80, and on the conclusion of his presidency was also elected a Vice-President. Dr Lionel Kochan (Reader in Jewish History at the University of Warwick) was elected President for the session 1980- 1 and was re-elected for that of 1981-2. We have already mentioned the grievous loss sustained by the Society by the death of Mr Shaftesley; a memorial address follows this preface on the late Reverend Dr James Parkes. Another grievous loss has been the death of Miss Marguerite Gollancz FRHists, formerly County Archivist of Surrey. Mr Bernard Goldblum joined the Council in 1979, but left to reside in Israel in 1980. Mrs Dorothy Stone jp, who has occupied the post of Honorary Treasurer with distinction since 1961, retired in 1981. We offer her our profound thanks for her long service. Mr A. L. Shane, who joined the Council in 1979, has succeeded her. Mr Alan Rose ma was elected in 1979 as Honorary Secretary in succession to Dr Jonathan Israel who, however, remains of great assistance to the society in his capacity of Chairman of the Programme Com? mittee. Mocatta Library The Library of University College loses the services of Mr Joseph Scott, its Librarian, having served 27 years in that distinguished office. We offer him our thanks for his help in the past and best wishes for a happy retirement. After an all-too-brief tenure of office, Mrs Emily Steinhaus was succeeded as librarian of the Mocatta Library by Mr W. Kirby, assisted by Mrs Trude Levi. It is regretted that a series of thefts of valuable items took place in the Mocatta Libary, culminating in December 1978 in the theft of a large and valuable silver testimonial presented to Sir Moses Montefiore by the Khedive of Egypt in 1858. It was afterwards recovered in New York with the aid of Scotland Yard, Interpol and the New York police. It is now on loan to and exhibited in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Meetings Since the last list, published in Transactions XXVI pp. ix-xi, the following lectures have taken place: 1979 Mr David Da vies, El Greco's association with Toledo Conversos 4 April Chief Rabbi Sir I. Jakobovits, Changing attitudes to Zionism as reflected in the writings and speeches of successive Chief Rabbis 16 May Miss Joan Stiebel, The Central British Fund for Jewish Relief and Rehabilitation, now known as World Jewish Relief 13 June Dr Steven Bayme (Yeshiva University), Claude Mon teflore, Lily Montagu and the formation of the Jewish Religious Union 4 July Professor Elie Kedourie, Reflections on Jewish History 24 October Dr N. Kokosalakis, Charity and the growth of Liver? pool Jewry: 1860-1910 21 November Dr Helen Rosenau, Moses Montefiore and the visual arts (held at the Victoria and Albert Museum Lecture Theatre) 12 December 1980 Miss Jackie Kohnstamm, Jewish-Christian relations in 18th-century France 16 January Mr Angus MacKay ma, Anti-Semitism and social unrest in 15th-century Spain 19 March Dr Julius Carlebach, Family structure and social mobility of Jewish immigrants at the turn of the century 16 April Mr Michael A. Shepherd ma, Jews and crime in England, 1805-1815 14 May Mrs Beth-Zion Lask Abrahams, James Finn, Her Britannic Majesty's Consul in Jerusalem: 1847-1863 18 June Mr Benjamin Jaffe, A re-evaluation of Benjamin Disraeli's Jewish aspects 2 July Mr Paul Brand ma, The Exchequer of the Jews and the</page><page sequence="3">xii Preface royal administrative machine in the late 13 th century 16 July Dr Lionel Kochan, The foreign policy of Anglo-Jewry 22 October Professor Brian S. Pullan, Christian and Jew in early modern Venice 19 November Dr Pearl Fogell, The silver collection in the possession of Birmingham's Singers Hill Synagogue 17 December 1981 Miss R. A. Routledge, Villein, heretic and free-born: the legal status of the Jews in England, 1190-1790 21 January Rabbi Curtis Cassell, The founders of the West London Synagogue and their approach to the Oral Imw 18 March Dr Vivian D. Lipman cvo, Jews and castles in medieval England 8 April Professor Raphael Loewe (replacing Mr Pat Feeley ma who was unable to come to England), Haham Meto and the Old Pretender 20 May After a long interval, the practice of holding a Lucien Wolf Memorial Lecture was resumed. Lucien Wolf Memorial Lecture: Lord Blake fba, jp, Disraeli reconsidered 10 June Dr Jonathan Israel (replacing Dr David Katz who was called up to the Army in Israel), The Jews of Amsterdam and Curacao and their trade with the Spanish Caribbean: 1648-1820 15 July Branches The Branches of the Society established at Birming ham and Leeds, as described in Transactions XXVI (p.x), continue to function actively. Those in Man? chester and Liverpool, however, are in temporary (it is hoped) eclipse, but may soon be revived. The Israel Branch, based in lerusalem, is reported to be flourishing and vigorous. Mr Benjamin laffe has succeeded Professor Lloyd Gartner as Chairman. Other Activities A one-day Conference and Seminar on 'The East End in English and Jewish Life 1840-1940', organized by the Jewish Historical Society and the Association for Jewish Youth (Jewish East End Project), was held on 12 October 1980 at Stepney Jewish Settlement, E.i. The organizers were Dr Aubrey Newman, representing the Society, and Miss Harriet Karsh, representing the ajy. The conference, attended by over 150 people, was extremely successful and aroused much interest. The papers were published in book form as The Jewish East End 1840-193 9, edited by Aubrey Newman (1981), and the book was distributed by the Society to participants and subscribers. The Sir Moses Montefiore Celebrations Sub-Com? mittee, now under the Chairmanship of Mr Denzil Sebag-Montefiore, is actively considering arrange? ments for the centenary in 1984-5, which it is hoped will include an exhibition. Anglo-Jewish Archives (Chairman: Rabbi Dr D. Goldstein) has again been taken under the Society's wing. It is housed in the Mocatta Library, and Mr Joseph M?nk, the Archivist, will be glad to receive material. r. d. barnett Chairman, Publications Committee</page></plain_text>