The Persistence of Prejudice

Book excerpt: Examines the largely ambivalent attitudes towards Jews evinced by the general populace and the government in Britain. Analyzes the hostility that did occur in the context of a society undergoing profound social, economic, and political change. States that the clearest features of modern British antisemitism are that Jews are perceived firstly as a foreign group and secondly as a malevolent power in society. Discusses British fascist organizations, the strongest of which was the British Union of Fascists led by Oswald Mosley; the evacuation experiences of London's Jews; the extent of the debate on the "Jewish question" in all levels of society; widespread economic and social prejudices; the negative images of the Jew; the attitudes of the government, which refused to admit the existence of antisemitism and denied that the Jews were a separate entity; and the response of pro-Jewish or anti-antisemitic forces.