This was a celebratory book to mark a celebratory year – 300 years since the Jews had officially been allowed to live in the United Kingdom in 1656 – after the expulsion of 1290.
We will leave aside the questions of whether the resettlement was official and the fact that there were unofficial Jews living in England between 1290 and 1656. The modern community was stated to date from 1656 and it was a time of great celebration.
The extracts below include the list of all those invited to the Tercentenary Dinner at the Guildhall in London – the ‘Great and Good’ of the Jewish community.
There were events to mark this occasion, not only in London, but in provincial communities throughout the British Isles, and the list of events is included below.
This was the list of guests at the Guildhall Banquet, in the presence of the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden. It took place on Tuesday, May 29th, 1956:
Jewish Miscellanies 