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Jan 1, 1501
Incognito
From 1501 until the Council and Oliver Cromwell readmitted them to England in December of 1655, the Jews that were living in England were forced to hide their identities. Any Jew who openly admitted their religion was either killed or forced to leave the country. (Mosse) (Bassett) -
Jan 1, 1520
The Good King
In 1520 King Charles V refrained from demanding the customary coronation tax on Jews. In 1530 Charles V reconfirmed the privileges he had granted to the Jews and defended them through the encouragement of Josel of Rosheim against Martin Luther (Birnbaum) (Smolowe). -
Jan 1, 1581
Unwelcome Guest
Joachim Gaunse of Prague, an openly Jewish man, was invited to England to help oversee and develop mining operations in 1581. He was persecuted heavily after statting he did not believe in Christ, but wat the exact date and punishment was for his crime is unknown. (Rogers) (Kruger). -
Loss of Trust
In 1593, Queen Elizabeth I’s physician Roderigo Lopez was accused of trying to poison her. He was convicted of treason and then hung. This event led to an outbreak of anti-Jewish sentiment in England. This anti-semitism wasn’t only towards the jews but all foreigners because they were suspicious, untrusted, and seen as a threat of the security of England (Schoenberg) (Jardine). -
A New Appreciation
England gained a new respect and apprectiation for Jews during the 17th century for their commerical skills. This new appreciation was a major contributing factor for the the repeal of the law of 1290, which banned Jews from the country. It is reasonable to say without Jewish commerical skill, Isreal's attempt to get his people back into England would have been in vain. -
Not Under My Watch
A small Marrano colony founded by Queen Elizabeth was expelled on charges of Judaizing, which means trying to convert to the Jewish religion. (Birnbaum) (Foster). -
We'll Be Back
The first proposal made to return the Jews legally to England was made by Sir Henry Finch, the legal advisor to King James I. In his treatise "The World's Great Restoration", Sir Henry stated that the Jewish people would one day have their own land and empire that they themselves would rule. Needless to say, King James was not pleased with this proposal, especially as it implied that the present rulers would have to pay homage to the Jewish king (Birnbaum) (Jerusalem). -
Busted
A woman was accused of keeping Jewish customs and refusing to eat meat which was not ritually prepared. She was imprisoned by the Court of High Commission. Though officially Jews were not allowed to settle in England, there were a number of legal cases which show that some Jews did indeed live there (Birnbaum) (Bousel). -
Do Not Enter
Lord Fairfax created the first petiton to re-admit the Jews to England. Between the distruption of the time and the execution of King Charles, the petition never did recieve a formal hearing. (Birnbaum) (Unknown). -
Cup of Joe
A Jewish merchant by the name of Jacob opened the first coffee house at Oxford and is credited with being the first to introduce coffee to the English public (Birnbaum) (Ramirez). -
London Jews are Falling Down
Abraham Israel Carvajal and his two sons became the first Jews to gain residency as "crypto jews" in London. Crypto jews are people who maintain some Jewish traditions of their ancestors while publicly adhering to other faiths. Carvajal was a great trader, and provided Oliver Cromwell with vital information about the Spanish government. -
Let My People In
The jews finally felt that it may be safe to return to England after the beheading of King Charles I. To help his people return to England, Dutch Jew Menasseh ben Isreal traveled to England to present Oliver Cromwell with a petition that called for his people to return to the country (Vallely) (The Oliver Cromwell Association). -
The Final Push
Menasseh ben Israel takes his petition to the committee of the Council of the State who debate the petition until the end of December and although they never come to a formal agreement to readmit the Jews to England, Jews living in England started openly admitting their religon without persecution (The Cromwell Association) (Macmillen). -
Entering the Spotlight
As Jews were allowed to re-enter England, those who had already been living in the country in secret could finally come out with their true religion. Violence against Jews in England dropped considerably, almost to the point of ceasing entirley. (The Jewish Historical Society of England) (Clark). -
The Merchant of Venice?
Antonio Robles, a famous Marrano merchant, had his goods confiscated at the beggining of the war with Spain. Robles stated that he was Portuguese "of the Hebrew nation" and not Spanish - and that by this logic his property should be returned to him. The case came to be considered a landmark one and the Council decided in his favor, strengthening the position of the community and opening the door for allowing Jews to live in England once again. -
Mile End
The first Jewish cemetery since the readmission of Jews into England was created in Mild End. The tombstones in the Jewish cemetery were all flat to illustrate that rich or poor, they were all equals (The Jewish Historical Society of England) (Walker). -
Here to Stay
Thomas Violet brought a petition to the London city council and the King demanding re-expulsion of all jews. King Charles had sent a message to Parliment asking to take the protection of the jews into consideration. The petition was rejected, and the Jews remained in England. (Birnbaum) (Kumar). -
Do You Swear
Jews became legally allowed to swear an oath in court on the old testemant (The Jewish Historical Society of England) (Carter). -
Pursuit of Happiness
Jews become admitted as brokers on the Royal Exchange. Exact date unknown (The Jewish Historical Society of England) (Jardine). -
Gaining Ground
Jews immigrated from Holland, Spain and Portugal and opened the first Jewish synagogue to be built after readmission in 1657. This finally led to the Act for Suppressing Blasphemy, which protected granted recognition to the legality of practicing Judaism in England in 1698 (The Jewish Historical Society of England) (Jewish Heritage Europe).
