In September of 1939, Hitler violated the German–Polish Non-Aggression Pact of 1934 through his invasion of the Polish state and thus began World War II. Hitler’s expansionist ambitions and strong belief in German Nationalism motivated him in his quest to conquer most of Europe in a series of ‘Blitzkriegs’, or lightning war campaigns. In September of 1940, Hitler began his Blitz on the city of London, resulting in the deaths of around 30,000 civilians. However, even through smoke, death, and devastation, the people of London were motivated to keep pushing against the Nazis. This attitude of resilience came to be known as the ‘Blitz spirit’, a phenomenon wherein the civilians of London banded together as volunteer workers, firefighters, and patriots to defend their city. Research surrounding the Blitz often emphasizes this Blitz spirit, yet its vision of a unified London can overlook underprivileged minority communities, specifically Jewish Londoners. This project will ask: to what extent was Jewish resilience during the Blitz distinct from the broader narrative of the ‘Blitz spirit’?
In the 19th century, a large wave of Ashkenazi Jews fleeing Eastern European pogroms transformed the East End of London into a dense community; however, despite this strong presence, Jewish communities were subject to discrimination even before the outbreak of World War II, which continued into the wartime period. Yet, through established synagogues, strong community networks, and shared cultural practices, they supported one another through the continued impairments of London’s antisemitism. This prejudice alongside strong communal structures carried into the Blitz. This project argues that Jewish resilience was shaped not only by wartime conditions, but by pre-existing antisemitism and a strong communal network. When this holds true, it highlights an overlooked narrative of the Blitz experience.
To research this project, I will be utilizing spatial, social, and transnational approaches to challenge the dominant narrative of the Blitz. I will integrate localized focus on the East End and the lived experiences of Jewish communities within it, while also situating these experiences within the broader context of World War II. I will be using a mix of primary and secondary sources to provide a well-rounded context for my project. This includes Jewish-led newspapers based in London, personal testimonies, diaries, and letters, as well as bombing records and additional support from historians such as Angus Calder, Richard Overy, and Juliet Gardiner, to bolster my analysis.
One of my primary challenges as I begin this project is how specifically to define resilience—would it be visible in the likes of community organization, or something more subtle and everyday? I may treat this as a flexible definition as I go through the project, or perhaps as a broad definition to encompass a wider array of experiences. Another concern is the scale of my project—am I too focused on this specific community, or would it be too broad given its size and diversity? Moving forward, I hope to balance a focus on this community with the broader context of the Blitz in a way that is effective and supports my argument. In doing so, this project aims to offer a more nuanced understanding of resilience, challenging the homogenized narrative of the Blitz and highlighting how it operated unevenly across social and ethnic lines.