The Jewish Population of Victorian EnglandHISTORYJews had their roots in Eastern Europe but were also scattered throughout Western European countries like England. The Jewish population has historically been the scapegoat since the days of the medieval Church. Stereotypes have formed about people practicing this religion for hundreds of years in England and elsewhere on the continent. The timeline shows the progression of the population in England and the progress it has made over the course of a century. YEAR # OF JEWS IN ENGLAND 1815 250001851 350001880 60000 (Naman 47) “In 1800 the overwhelming majority of London's Jews, rich and poor, were still living in the East End of London, in and around the city” ( Black 63). It would not be until decades later that Jews would leave the East End and leave London to form their own communities. The East End was the complete opposite of London's West End. Black describes “much of the East End in a dark and picturesque panorama. The angular wickedness of the buildings is veiled [with] twilight” (Black 63). Ghetto-like and being the poorest neighborhood in the city, it perpetuates the stereotype that the Jewish population is made up of shady people. carteTHE STEREOTYPES"The images born from the attitude of the medieval Church towards the Jews can be described as archetypal images: the moneylender, the murderer, the devil converged to form the image of the outcast - an outcast from society, a being separated from other beings” (Naman 31) While the Church supported discrimination of the Jewish population, stereotyping continued and increased Anglicans' unfavorable views of it. of this distinct religion As a result, Jews were the social center of the newspaper. These physical attributes may not have been very accurate but are the "stamp of a Jewish man", so the reader can always relate. remember and recognize such a character as Jewish Physical characteristics used by Dickens also include "a rusty, wide-brimmed hat and low crown", a "staff", and someone who employs a "graceful oriental action of homage". (Dickens 273).Such stereotypical attributes are prevalent among Jewish characters in Victorian novels. SOME PROMINENT JEWISH MEN OF THE VICTORIAN ERA Benjamin Disraeli Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild Sir David Salomons Works Cited Black, Gerry. Jewish London: An Illustrated History. Derby: The Breedon Books Publishing Company Limited, 2003. Dickens, Charles. Our mutual friend. New York: Penguin Group, 1997. Naman, Anne Aresty. The Jew in the Victorian Novel. AMS Press, Inc.: New York, 1980.