Britain: An official handbook > 1959

BRITAIN: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
IQO
brought up as Roman Catholics. Many schools for Roman Catholic children in the
United Kingdom are staffed by members of the great Religious Orders for men
and women, who also undertake other social work such as nursing, child care, and
the conduct of homes for the aged.
Jewry
Jews first settled in England at the time of the Norman conquest, but were
expelled at the beginning of the thirteenth century by an edict of Edward I. The
present Anglo-Jewish community dates from 1656, the earliest arrivals being the
Sephardi (from Spain and Portugal). At the end of the seventeenth century an
Ashkenazi community (from Germany and East Europe) was established, which
increased rapidly and spread to the principal provincial cities. By 1956, as a result
of the virtual destruction of whole Jewish communities on the Continent during
the second world war, the Anglo-Jewish community of some 400,000 had become
the largest group of Jews in Europe.
The Anglo-Jewish community is divided into two schools of thought, each of
which has its own form of worship and its own services: the Orthodox (the original
groups) and the Reform. The Reform Movement, which attaches less religious
importance to some of the ancient rituals and practices of the Jewish faith, began
in 1840. It was followed in 1901 by the establishment of the Liberal Jewish Move¬
ment which, in addition, lays emphasis on the reinterpretation of traditional
Judaism in the light of modern thought and custom. Of the Jews in Great Britain
who belong to any kind of synagogue, about 80 per cent are Orthodox. The Chief
Rabbi is the head of the largest group (Ashkenazi) within Orthodox Jewry; the
Haham is the head of the Sephardi group.
Synagogues in Britain of all sections of Jewry number approximately 445,
including 17 Liberal and 15 Reform congregations. There are a few schools which
cater exclusively for Jewish children, but the vast majority attend the ordinary
State or independent schools, and receive extra-curricular instruction in the Jewish
faith.
Other Religious Communities
Among other non-Christian communities in Britain, the Moslems are the most
widely represented. The principal mosque is the Shah Jehan Mosque at Woking,
and there are also mosques in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and
Glasgow.
A Buddhist temple was ceremonially opened in South Kensington, London, in
May 1954; and other premises were opened in 1956 as a meeting place and dis¬
cussion centre for adherents of Buddhism.
Co-operation between the Churches
An outstanding feature of recent years has been the growth of co-operation
between the Churches. The British Council of Churches was founded in 1942 and
includes official representatives from almost all the churches of the British Isles,
with the notable exception of the Roman Catholic Church. The Council facilitates
common action between the churches and seeks to further the cause of Christian
unity. The Archbishop of Canterbury is president. In addition, most though not
all of the Free Churches in England and Wales are members of the Free Church
Federal Council (formed in 1940 by the amalgamation of the Federal Council of
Evangelical Free Churches with the National Free Church Council), the aims of
which are to promote unity and joint action between the Free Churches, and to
provide a channel through which the Free Churches can communicate and negotiate