Covering the period from Cromwell's Readmission of Jews to Britain in 1656, this dictionary is actually closer to a biography with the vast majority of entries dedicated to people rather than important events, places, subjects, etc., making it a kind of British historical “Jews Who's Who”. Its coverage does not quite extend to the present day as advertised, with the editors admitting as much in their introduction (a problem they hope to address in later editions, they write with bullishness).
Intended as a first point of reference for historical research and cited as a “companion” piece to a (presumably unpublished) work by Joe Hillaby covering the medieval period, this book would certainly be a useful addition to university libraries' collections, if not “essential” on account of its questionable organization and necessarily selective coverage. Although its 1,061 pages belies the editors' claims of length being a constant concern, many too‐brief entries bring it to the fore; the entry for Antisemitism in Britain is just over a page long, for example, and the many London boroughs with large Jewish communities are all lumped into a single “London” entry. While relatively lengthy, such entries seem cursory, highlighting the dictionary's biographical priorities.
A lack of cross‐references in the entries above and throughout is a less necessary flaw, however. A native of Lincoln, I was surprised at the brevity of the city's entry given its rich Jewish history, and also at the lack of a cross‐reference to the Literature, Jews in British entry, which cites Hugh of Lincoln as the inspiration for Chaucer's “The Prioress' tale” in The Canterbury Tales. The above example highlights a further problem, the book's sometimes obscure forms of entries, exacerbated by a lack of index (I know this is a dictionary, but an index would be another good addition to any future editions, especially with group entries like “London”).
The academic coverage of the biographical entries is strong in the area of establishment figures (all Jewish MPs are included, for example) but less so in the area of culture; Jewish contributions to the arts and popular culture seem underrepresented, though the omission of figures like Katie Price – this decision highlighted by the editors – seems wise. Those looking for Katie Price entries can find plenty of videos online.
The inclusive criteria of Jewishness and Britishness for entrants sees some surprise inclusions (Karl Marx and Ireland, for instance) and makes idly browsing through the book surprisingly entertaining, even “inspirational” as the editors write, though I doubt the book will be used this way. The practice of denoting just how Jewish entrants are via symbols seems superlative, and needlessly reductive, however. Many may also find the depoliticised nature of entries disappointing too.
The helpful glossary positions the book firmly in the “first point of reference camp” it aspires to and makes it as inclusive as its selection criteria; Hebrew and Yiddish terms are used extensively but always explained. The Further reading offered by the plentiful citations is heavy on academic tomes but also very useful.
