Iddewon Cymreig יהודים וולשים | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 2,044[1] (2021) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Cardiff | |
| Languages | |
| English,Welsh,Hebrew,Yiddish | |
| Religion | |
| Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| British Jews,English Jews,Scottish Jews,Irish Jews,Northern Irish Jews,Ashkenazi Jews |
Part ofa series on the |
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| History ofWales |
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Thehistory of the Jews in Wales begins in the 13th century. However, after the Englishconquest of Wales (1277–1283),Edward I issued the 1290Edict of Expulsion expelling theJews from England. From then until the formal return of the Jews to England in 1655, there is only one mention of Jews on Welsh soil.
Jewish communities were recorded in the 18th century, while major Jewish settlement dates from the 19th century.
The 2021 census recorded 2,044 Jews in Wales, representing 0.1% of the population, down 9.4% since 2001.[2]
Like the rest ofWestern Europe,medieval Wales was Christian.
The clergyman and authorGerald of Wales (c. 1146 – c. 1223) wrote an account of his journey through Wales in 1188 in order to recruit soldiers for theThird Crusade, theItinerarium Cambriae (1191). In it, he makes no reference to Jews in Wales but includes an allegorical narrative concerning a Jew and aChristian priest travelling inShropshire, England.[3]
During the 13th century, there are records of Jews inAbergavenny,Caerleon andChepstow, all of which were in theMarcher Lordships of South Wales.[4]
When Edward I established new borough towns in North Wales, both before and after 1290, he ensured that the charters banned the presence of Jews. The 1284 town charters ofBere,Caernarfon,Conwy,Criccieth,Flint,Harlech andRhuddlan stated that "Jews shall not sojourn in the borough at any time". Despite the general expulsion in 1290, the same clauses were used in the charters ofBeaumaris (1296) andOverton, (1292).[5]
It is likely that most, if not all, Jews left Wales afterEdward I'sact of 1290 although the writ of the English king would not have run in many of the Marcher Lordships. The Welsh chronicleBrut y Tywysogion refers to the act but only in the context of the Jews in neighbouring England.[6] There is a record of an unnamed Jew in thecommote of Manor Deilo inCarmarthenshire (outside the Marcher Lordships) in 1386/7.[4]
In England, between 1290 and their formal return to that country in 1655, there are no other official traces of Jews as such except in connection with theDomus Conversorum, which kept a number of Jews who had converted to Christianity within its precincts up to 1551 and even later. There is no comparable evidence for Wales.
TheBBC notes, "The oldest non-Christian faith [in Wales] to be established was Judaism, with a presence inSwansea dating from around 1730. Jewish communities were formed in the next century inCardiff,Merthyr Tydfil,Pontypridd andTredegar."[7]
The rapid expansion of thecoal mining industry in the 19th century led to major economic growth and a vast increase in immigration to Wales. The Jews immigrated to Wales in large numbers, leading to the founding of new Jewish communities, particularly in the heavily industrializedSouth Wales Valleys. While the Cardiff Jewish population was 13 families in 1852, after the influx of Jews fleeing fromRussianpogroms in the 1880s the city's Jewish population rose to a peak of 5,500.[8] A synagogue was founded in Merthyr Tydfil in 1875, and by the end of the century, most towns in the Valleys had small Jewish communities and trading stations.[9] Generally, these communities appear to have been well tolerated, though there were some notable exceptions. In 1911,antisemitic sentiment came to a head in theTredegar area, where working-class mobsattacked Jewish-owned businesses, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.[10] Early 20th-century Welsh Jewish society is featured in the 1999 filmSolomon & Gaenor, which is set at the time of the Tredegar riots.
Some of these topics were covered in the documentaryThe Kosher Comedian presented by Jewish-Welsh writer comedianBennett Arron.
Jewish communities continue to be substantial in Wales, being augmented byrefugees fromNazi-dominated Europe in the late 1930s.See alsoJews escaping from Nazi Europe to Britain.
The modern community in South Wales is centred on theCardiff Reform Synagogue and theCardiff United Synagogue. There is also a synagogue inSwansea. Thesynagogue of Merthyr Tydfil, the major one north of Cardiff, ceased to hold regular services in the 1970s and was later sold. It is alisted building and, while there is planning permission to convert it into flats, there are calls for it to be moved to theNational Museum of Wales at St Fagans, near Cardiff.[11]
The Welsh Jewish community held numerically steady between the 2011 and 2021 censuses.
Notable people of Welsh-Jewish background include:
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