Sport and British Jewry

Abstract

Sport and British Jewry provides the first wide-ranging examination of the importance of sport in the modern history of the British-Jewish community. Covering the period from 1890 through to 1970, Sport and British Jewry examines the peak era of Jewish involvement and interest in sport and physical recreation in Britain in recent times. The book tackles three main themes. First, the author examines the relationship between sport and the integration of Jews hailing from the wave of Russian and Eastern European Jewish migration to Britain in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Secondly, the study looks at how sport impacted on Jewish ethnicity. Thirdly, it addresses how sport became linked to expressions of anti-Semitism and Jewish responses to racial discrimination. As a whole, Sport and British Jewry not only demonstrates the significant impact that Jews had on British sport during this time frame, but also shows the considerable effect that sport had on the lives, experiences and identities of Jews within British society. David Dee brings together the results of comprehensive and up-to-date research in this original study of British Jewry's sporting past. The range of sources used and the dynamic analysis makes Sport and British Jewry appealing to a broad readership, ranging from academics and students interested in the history of British-Jewry and the history of British sport, to the general reader.