Some of My Best Friends
- Westminster
- 1969
We Protest: 80,000 descend on Hyde Park to demonstrate against Hitler's antisemitism.
In 1933, the full horror of Nazi Germany's anti-Jewish policies lay ahead but Britain's Jewish community was acutely alert to the persecution already occurring and the yet greater dangers it presented. British Paramount News had cameras present and they capture a wonderful array of shots, from several well planned angles, of the speakers and the crowds - many of them East Enders who had walked from their homes to be present for this show of solidarity with Jews in Germany.
Newsreel item. 80,000 in a procession from the East End of London meet in Hyde Park to protest at `Nazi Jew baiting'. Paramount library number 2023.
This collection uncovers insights, injustices and hidden histories across a century of Jewish life on British screens. It brings together documentary and first-person accounts of Jewish life in the UK, alongside historical dramas and artists’ work exploring the 20th century Jewish experience. The earliest surviving depictions of Jewish characters in British cinema offer a troubling insight into antisemitic representation, yet prejudice was later tackled head-on, with newsreels documenting the anti-fascist movement of the 1930s.
Drop in on joyous family weddings and community gatherings, and see the ways in which UK Jewry supported Jews young and old, and those fleeing persecution, in a selection of fascinating films from the 1900s to the 1980s.
This collection is generously supported by the Neil Kreitman Foundation, Shoresh Charitable Trust, John S Cohen Foundation, and Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation.