Jews in the Welsh Imagination

Jews and Judaism have long—albeit hidden—histories in Wales, but traditionally, little has been written about non-Christian religions in Wales. Jews often served as allegorical figures in medieval poetry and chronicles; in the early modern period, Welsh Christian evangelists expressed missionary zeal toward Jews. In the twentieth century, policy driven by Welshmen like David Lloyd George and T.E. Lawrence changed the Middle East’s political landscape forever. In the modern era, many Welsh intellectuals have become deeply involved in discussions around colonialism and conquest through the lens of the Israel-Palestine conflict: the latest iteration of a centuries-old conversation about self-determination, nationhood, identity, and more.

“Abrams has written a bold and lively reassessment of antisemitism in Wales from the medieval world to the present.  What emerges from his book is the insight that there was no direct relationship between the presence or absence of flesh-and-blood Jews and the construction of Jews in the Welsh imagination.”

— Todd M. Endelman, William Haber Professor of Modern Jewish History Emeritus, University of Michigan, USA

This book offers a comprehensive study of the ways Wales and Welsh people have historically engaged with—and imagined—Jews, Judaism, and Israel-Palestine. This volume argues that Wales is allosemitic, a term that encompasses both positive and negative attitudes towards Jews, but which views Jews as fundamentally different from the non-Jewish mainstream.

Jews and Judaism have long—albeit hidden—histories in Wales, but traditionally, little has been written about non-Christian religions in Wales. Jews often served as allegorical figures in medieval poetry and chronicles; in the early modern period, Welsh Christian evangelists expressed missionary zeal toward Jews. In the twentieth century, policy driven by Welshmen like David Lloyd George and T.E. Lawrence changed the Middle East’s political landscape forever. In the modern era, many Welsh intellectuals have become deeply involved in discussions around colonialism and conquest through the lens of the Israel-Palestine conflict: the latest iteration of a centuries-old conversation about self-determination, nationhood, identity, and more.

Nathan Abrams is a Professor at Bangor University, Wales, and a specialist in Jewish scholarship and British Jewish history, particularly the development of small, non-English-speaking communities. Abrams has been involved in various initiatives to raise awareness of the hidden history of Jews in Wales, writing and broadcasting on Welsh Jewish history (in both Welsh and English) for local magazines, newspapers, radios, and television. He has also curated exhibitions on Jewish life in Wales and produced award-winning, self-guided maps and an app called Walking Jewish History. A trustee of the Jewish History Association of Wales and the Welsh Jewish Cultural Centre, Abrams has also contributed to the Jewish Museum London’s biographical Jewish Lives Project.