“Like Beasts of the Field”: The Poverty and Sanitary Conditions of the East End’s Jewish Immigrants in the Context of British Imperial and Racial Discourse

Abstract

The influx of Eastern European Jewry into London stirred controversy within British society and within the Anglo-Jewish community. Newly arrived Jews became part of the debate over the “alien problem,” which resulted in the passing of the Aliens Act in 1905. This paper will examine the disputes over the poverty and “dirtiness” of Jewish immigrants in the context of the British imperial and racial discourse. The aim is to show how the controversy over the poverty of immigrants and the sanitary conditions of the Jewish quarter exposed deeper social anxiety over the position of the British Empire. The paper will focus on accusations against Jews from Eastern Europe of impoverishing and polluting the “heart of the Empire,” thus contributing to the collapse of the ideals of British progress and superiority.